Pacific Views

Suppose we do capture Osama bin Ladin (Obl) this year. How can that be a bush achievement? October surprise? October 2002? 2003? NO? 2004!? Isn’t it about time? Don’t you think our military would have done that job a lot sooner without the political deviation of everything to Iraq? Is bush going to call anything that eventually happens a great victory?

Bush’s already given ObL several years to disperse command and control. When we say we’ve stopped the money flow it really means we can’t see the money flow.

Now, I will be very gratified when ObL is captured or killed. I prefer capture, for I fear no truth or trial - if we can salvage our reputation from bush’s smearing. Try him. Execute him.

If we kill him in theatre, we better be darn sure we can prove it. IF ObL, anticipating a devastating dose of US Army interaction, arranged his death and disappearance, that would enable the legend to live forever. We wouldn’t want that! What would we do if he turned himself in to the World Court? We would wish we hadn’t denigrated and rejected it, wish we had more allies, and wish we had a better reputation.

In the past year there have been half a dozen reports come out of the region that OBL has either been captured or located and US troops are waiting for a more appropiate time to move in.

My guess is his public capture will be announced on Oct 7, 2004 give or take a few days. Considering how quickly any bounce bush gets from good news fades, three weeks before election would be just about perfect timing for them to get the bounce and feed the capture into political ads

As much as they would like to, I don't think they are capable of capturing Osama. Even if they did manage to capture Osama in October I doubt that it would produce much of a bounce.

Bush, Condi and Colin all know where Osama is. Take Saddam for example. Did you find it fishy that Saddam was found the same week that the media reported Bush's falling popularity in the polls?

The latest reports (CNN this morning 7/8/04) says that Pakastani officials are being pressured to produce Osama or some other "high-value" al Qaeda operative not in October, but in late July during the Democratic convention. Truly a new low in playing politics with national security.