Still A Distraction?
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Featured Stories | War — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
We are told often by opponents of the reconstruction effort in Iraq that the effort is a "distraction" from the war on terror in general and the war against al Qaeda in particular. But does that argument still hold if this is found to be true?
Do please read on . . .
Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is orchestrating militants' operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior commander of Afghan Islamist group Taliban said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.
Bin Laden has not made any video statements for many months raising speculation that he might have died.
"He is drawing plans in Iraq and Afghanistan ... Praise God he is alive," Mullah Dadullah told Al Jazeera television.
In September, a French newspaper quoted French foreign intelligence service as saying the Saudi intelligence were convinced bin Laden had died of typhoid in Pakistan in August.
Dadullah said bin Laden ordered the attack on February 27 at the U.S. Bagram base during a visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan.
The response to this will presumably be that if the story is true, we would not have to be fighting bin Laden if only we did not invade Iraq--and for that matter, Afghanistan. Of course, this analysis conveniently forgets a certain day in September that occurred almost six years ago, but in some quarters, this weakness in the argument will likely not be found to be determinative.
Pity. One hoped for better.
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Still A Distraction? 10 Comments (0 topical, 10 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
is your total credulity.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
I wouldn't tell anybody. The very minute OBL's death is confirmed, the GWOT is over. If AQ were smart, they'd kill him and put his head on a pike in front of the White House. The Ds would start howling in unison that its all over, cut the defense budget so there's more money for their freezers, and bring the troops home; better yet, discharge them all and sell the equipment on Ebay.
In Vino Veritas
We could have found him six months ago and are now setting up his networks to be rolled up. Or we could do that next week. Or, heck, we could have done all of that last year and are now using the Middle Eastern section of AQ as an elaborate honey trap for would-be and out-of-region terrorists. Ask again in twenty years. You might as well, because that's when the first memoirs will get published anyway.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
it wasn't until 75 that we began to get authoritative info on intelligence operations from WWII. Don't think there was a lot in, say, A Man Called Intrepid or The Ultra Secret that serious students of WWII didn't know or suspect, but it all remained officially classified for thirty years.
My own belief is that OBL is long dead, probably buried in the rubble of Tora Bora, but it serves both AQ and our interests to not confirm that. If they can get videos of his lieutenants out without compromising their location, they could get one out of OBL, and God knows the guy likes attention. So, my conclusion is that the reason they don't is that they can't.
In Vino Veritas
war against Osama and his crew, but mostly Osama. The GOP sees this as a greater war against those who commit terrorist acts (I would love to say Islamic extremists, which is the real war, but the Politically correct crowd would balk).
The day Osama is captured, the democrats will declare victory and the war will be over. On the one hand his capture would be a good thing, but on the other, I am not so sure it would be for the big picture that is the GWOT.
From a game theory perspective just about everyone has a vested interest in OBL being perceived as alive. BTW, my vote is that he's been dead for at least a year.
1. Al Qaeda. He's a legend and his name helps fundraising. If he's dead it isn't good for them.
2. Existing AQ leadership. If he's alive there is no succession struggle. We saw how the AQ equivalent of "OGs" (to use the rap expression)were totally unable to bring Zarqawi under control. Everyone saw it. If OBL's dead, then Zawahiri is just some guy hiding out in a cave and writing bad poetry. If he's alive, Zawahiri is his #2 and people listen to him.
3. The Dems. See the stupid comment by fladem if you have doubts about the dems going into a period of mourning if OBL was dead.
4. The Administration. There is a lot that remains to be accomplished in the Long War. If OBL is dead a lot of our allies, as well as the Dems, will demand that we stop what we're doing and go back to the Clinton era Ostrich Defense. They take some heat for him being alive, but no Dem is going to say stop hunting him.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
...somebody should at least call Nancy's travel agent so she can change her next diplomatic itinerary.
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"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
You know, we would not be having this discussion about him now or be in the 2 wars going on right now if it were not for that nitwit that occupied the white house for 8 years prior to the attack. While he was having his presidential pole polished, the U.S. was being attacked, he did nothing. When he had the chance to kill Bin laden, he did not do it, not once but 3 times!!. This is the way the country will be if the libs take the white house in 2008, they will cut the military again like Clinton did and want to just raise taxes to give out more wellfare instead of making people get off their asses and go to work like Reagan did in the 80's.
About the report isn't that OBL was directing Al Qaeda forces.
It's that he is still alive.
The greatest mass murderer of American Civilians in history still is at large over 5 years after 9/11.
Do you seriously think that would be the case if we had not invaded Iraq?
I find it amazing that there is so little interest in actually catching him.