Bin Laden specter gives Bush critics an opening - Democrats see flaw in president's strategy

The Dallas Morning News ^ | November 16, 2002 | By DAVID JACKSON / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Mr. Kerry and other critics also question whether the Pentagon botched the best attempt to nab Mr. bin Laden in the battle of Tora Bora last year in Afghanistan, and whether the administration is doing enough to stabilize that country.

Hmm? Really? it seems to me that the BEST opportunity to nab bin Laden was under the Clinton administration - when his head was offered on a platter, and Clinton declined. No bias or propaganda here - not by the media nor by John Kerry. < /sarcasm >

[patriciaruth]

Ditto.

And I still have a gut feeling that this phoned-in tape is just a clever fake.

Someone mentioned the legend of El Cid, how as he was dying he instructed his aides de camp to tie him on his horse with his sword, and the horse carried the corpse of El Cid into his last battle against the Moors in Spain, which was won, although the Moors were not completely defeated in Spain for another couple centuries.

[MeekOneGOP]

Bin Laden specter gives Bush critics an opening
Democrats see flaw in president's strategy

Excerpt:

"Bin Laden's re-emergence does not invalidate the progress that has been made in the war on terror," said Mr. Benjamin, a National Security Council official under President Bill Clinton. "But at the same time, bin Laden is a charismatic figure and his followers in radical Islam is certain to be mightily cheered by this."

---

I can almost envision this, with Clinton leading the cheers....

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[WaterDragon]

The Democrats put party power before the country's security. They would rather watch Americans die than support the administrations' efforts to protect us.

The Democrats have NO credibility. They just hope if they throw enough mud some will stick.

[johnny7]

Heinz/Kerry is a real a-hole.

Gung-ho in Viet Nam, when he came home to start his political career, his liberal family convinced him to be anti-war.

He flung somebody elses medals into the Tidal Pool in a DC demonstration.

He is the wealthiest senator in Washington and his hero was JFK.

He is not very bright and is more “greenie” than Gore.

[kassie]

The Democrats put party power before the country's security

They put party before anything. The party is number one with them.

[tm61]

lets see, the dems best chance to win back public favor, in their minds, relies on a islamic killer who intends to kill millions of Americans.

[Redleg Duke]

The RATS wouldn't recognize strategry if it kicked them squarely in the ass...like what happened to them on 5 November 2002!

[WaterDragon]

Don't forget the Democrats are desperately hoping for millions of people out of work, hungry and frightened about the economy. They see that as their best chance, too.

[mgc1122]

I believe there is some merit in this article's argument. It may be entirely possible the rats are flopping on the terrorism issue now to position themselves as the ultimate defenders of the nation (in spite of their record).

They appear to be playing the odds that an attack is imminent, and by being on record that "we could do better" in the event of such an attack, they hope to clean up.

[G.Mason]

"While criticizing some of Mr. Bush's proposals for a new Department of Homeland Security, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W. Va., said: "Osama bin Laden is still alive and plotting more attacks while we play bureaucratic shuffleboard."

It's evident that this "old fool" Byrd has forgotten that it took the U.S.A. and it's Allies well over 5 years of actual fighting to see the end of Adloph Hitler.

[gulfcoast6]

What ever 'Zip' Clinton did not do doesn't count.

[Freemyland]

"Now, the president laid down that criteria a year ago when he said we will be judged by whether or not we find bin Laden dead or alive. Well, by that criteria, we haven't made a lot of progress," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D."

OK, I need some help. When did Bush say this? I remember him saying things to the effect that he would like Bin Laden dead or alive, but that the war on terror is more than one man. Seriously, I don't remember Bush saying what Dashole says he said. If he did say it, could someone please let me know.

[mewzilla]

It's a wonder we ever won WWII. Or maybe this attitude wasn't as prevalent back then.

[gaspar]

And of course there was the deceased Emiliano Zapaga who is still seen in Mexico.

People who have followed the career of OBL (or UBL as he was first called, for Usamaa) know that over two decades he issued scores of tapes that were played in mosques and were the subject of Friday sermons all over Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula. He sent out thousands of phone messages, some of which were taped. Thus, the fact that the voice on the recent tape is OBL should mean very little to a good sound analyst. To think that Al Qaida and it allies are incapable of fabricating a OBL tape is to misjudge their abilities. The fact that the most recent missive is a phone message copied on tape further confounds the sound quality.

The fact that the Al Qaida might want to maintain the fiction that OBL is alive is understandable, but why are so many Americans bent on proving what is presently unprovable?

[bumba_rasclot]

"Now, the president laid down that criteria a year ago when he said we will be judged by whether or not we find bin Laden dead or alive. Well, by that criteria, we haven't made a lot of progress," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

What a lying sack of s---! Daschle, come up with the quote where President Bush said that we will be judged by whether or we find bin Laden dead or alive. Instead Bush said he wanted bin Laden dead or alive then and I am sure he wants bin Laden dead or alive now.

[Clara Lou]

I say that we ask the Democrats for their very fine, well-dveised, multi-step plan for just locating Bin Laden, muchless for getting our people there before Bin Laden escapes, and then for actually capturing him and bringing him out of wherever he is. They do have that plan available, don't they? (AlGee must have it some where. Or Kerry. Or surely little Tommy Flatulence does.)

[Moby Grape]

This is WISHFUL thinking by democrats and the liberal press...Four years, millions lost, and we never found Hitler's body....IF, and I say IF, bin Laden is alive, we will get him....but this attempt by the liberals to hurt Bush will not work, in fact, it will add to the strength of the disdain for the democrats that resulted in the eviction notice they got on Nov 5.

[my right]

If OBL were still alive, they would show him in a video holding a recent NY Times. I'm sure this is the newspaper he reads.

[janee]

The less than truthful democrats in power fighting the war on terror would have produced "remains" (perhaps even "DNA" and claimed OBL's demise.

We're all more secure with President Bush as commander and chief.