Thread: Thank You, President Bush

WASHINGTON (AP) - Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says.
The report asserts that the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan, it says.

We don't really know if this is true or not, do we?
Not any more than we (well, you, the US) knew that there were WMD in Iraq.

I am not even close to a fan of Bush, yet I don't think the man should be blamed for anything and everything. Especially if we really have no proof either way.

I'm not really sure of the validity of all that but I am very scheptical that in EIGHT years we still have not been able to kill him.

With all the rescources, technology etc...we still can not get that guy.

Originally Posted by crushnbugs

With all the rescources, technology etc...we still can not get that guy.

I seems to me that the US military & intelligence community has too much faith in their (very superior) technology. I believe good old fashioned diplomacy and, yes, spying are more effective in the long run. And cheaper.

(It always amazes me that in a country that's so big on small government, that same government can get away with throwing away money on such scale ! But that's )

W was fond of quoting former President Truman's admonition,"The buck stops here." Never mind the misguided invasion of Iraq and the cost in blood and treasure. Not to mention the removal of resources from the objective in Afghanistan.... Our dual invasions have been the greatest recruitment tool that the Islamic extremists have had since the Soviet invasion of the area thirty or so years ago. Those who do not learn the lessons of history .....

So now, thanks to him and his neo cons we are at war on two fronts with a similar failed strategy as was demonstrated in Viet Nam. We lost 58,000 dead, KIA ,in that debacle and pulled out in disgrace. Now Vietnamese products are sold in stores in the USA. If those whose names are on that wall in DC are looking down at that I wonder how they would feel about their ultimate sacrifice ?

Al Queda had something like a thousand or less active members when 9-11 happened. Our over reaction has swelled their ranks and will continue to do so for another generation. W confirmed to those people what Bin Laded had accused the US of... being 'crusaders' and enemies of Islam.

If we had used Special Ops and surgical strikes much as the Israelis have done to combat terrorism we would have been much better off. We would be better off if that became the policy now. In the end we will leave there having accomplished little of nothing positive IMO, just as we did in Viet Nam. Just my take on the situation.

now wait just a minute. we need to lay the biggest blame on bill clinton. i believe it was syria(might be wrong on the country) that had bin laden and asked bill clinton if he wanted him and clinton said basically that we had no law covering him and laws in bringing him to the U.S. the clip of that conversation has been around for years and also the transcript. i am looking for it now, so i can link it. this was years before bush was commander in chief. so do not lay that on him.

Originally Posted by 59caddy

now wait just a minute. we need to lay the biggest blame on bill clinton. i believe it was syria(might be wrong on the country) that had bin laden and asked bill clinton if he wanted him and clinton said basically that we had no law covering him and laws in bringing him to the U.S. the clip of that conversation has been around for years and also the transcript. i am looking for it now, so i can link it. this was years before bush was commander in chief. so do not lay that on him.

Bill Clinton's failure does not let Bush off the hook. The buck stops with the guy in the big chair in the white house. ...... what did he say ? "I am the decider."

http://www.prisonplanet.com/us_misse..._bin_laden.htm

i did not take the blame from anyone, but clinton is just as guilty as bush. there is plenty of blame to go around. also i agree we should have had him long, long ago.

Bush also said as he was selling the war(s), (and I remember the TV interruption), "We will bring the Evil One to justice or we will bring justice to him." I am thus far not really impressed with the results.

To me the really sad thing is that our current president is falling into the same trap that LBJ and Nixon fell into. He doesn't want to be the guy to lose the unwinnable war. We can keep killing insurgents and losing our own men and women but to what end ? Our advesaries have a totally different belief system and culture and Jeffersonian democracy will never be a part of it. We are still a recruitment tool for the enemy. Strong immigration and intelligence policies and surgical strikes, special ops ought to be the way forward Go after al queda , seek, find and destroy, but not with a ground war. IMO..... for what little that is worth.