Image courtesy of Diana Robinson under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Have you noticed that we are finally focusing on hunting and capturing Osama Bin Laden? Two and one half years after the 9/11 attacks, the ‘sounds’ out of DC and Central Command are finally serious about getting America’s Number One Enemy. In fact, the very team which bagged Saddam in December has been re-deployed to Afghanistan to use their techniques on Osama.
The media, too, is ‘sniffing’ around the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. There have even been reports that Osama is ‘surrounded’ or ‘confined’ in a certain area.
But here is a key question: exactly why has it taken us so long?
Why weren’t we still over there after 9/11 – and after we knocked off the Taliban – and why didn’t we stay there until we caught or killed this SOB?
Why did we almost totally divert our focus toward Iraq and Saddam?
Why didn’t we send hundreds of thousands of troops into Afghanistan – and northeast Pakistan – and root out the mastermind of 9/11?
And, of course, the inevitable question: is this new ‘push’ to get Osama, as a former GOP Congressman said this week, “the real beginning of the Bush re-election campaign”?
Many self-styled political experts are opining that “if we get Osama before Election Day, Bush is a shoe-in.” To which the reply must be that President’s Bush’s approval ratings have actually plummeted since the capture of Saddam in December. Not because of the capture but because other factors have overwhelmed the good feeling engendered by the capture.
Osama Bin Laden must be caught or killed. Of that there is no doubt. In fact, we were told that by the President shortly after 9/11 when Mr. Bush said we’d get him “dead or alive.” But somehow that bravado and machismo was soon transferred over to another international villain – Saddam Hussein – even though he had not attacked America and killed 3000 people.
With the Iraq story now producing nothing but bad headlines and more American casualties the Administration has suddenly renewed its focus on Osama. Can the USA not do two things at the same time? Couldn’t we have hunted both of these bastards at the same time?
It is high time that the President re-focus our national energies on the hunt for Osama. The taunting audio and video tapes – a new one just came two days ago – by Bin Laden and his right hand man, Ayman Al-Zwahiri (convicted for the murder of Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat), and the constant terror alerts here are further proof that we can never be at peace with these two renegades on the loose.
Capturing Osama, however, will be much more difficult than getting Saddam. Why? Because while the Iraqis feared Saddam the Pakistanis and Afghan tribespeople revere Osama. The Pakistani government, military and intelligence service is riddled with fundamentalist Muslims loyal – not to our ally, President Musharref – but to Osama.
CIA Director George Tenet recently went back to Pakistan to help re-start the search – with a new wrinkle. US military forces are now allowed inside Pakistan to conduct searches and raids. This seemingly good development – bought with billions more in US aid to the Paks and even more ‘secretly’ to their intel operation – works only if the integrity of these searches is not compromised. Unfortunately, what the two-faced Paks do is take our money with one hand and then point us away from Osama’s hiding places with the other.
Over 80% of the Pakistani people admire Osama and his ‘teachings.’ The un-elected President – General Musharref – who seized power in a coup against an elected government – (how about our belief in Democracy in the Middle East?) – has already had two assassination attempts against him in the last 9 weeks. What would be the result to him and his government if American soldiers caught Osama on Pakistani territory? A revolution would likely start – with nuclear consequences. It is not inconceivable that pro-Osama forces could seize power – and thus gain control over the Pakistani nuke arsenal.
We must get Osama. We should have already killed him. Clinton passed up on the opportunity 3 times. And the Bush Administration dropped the ball after they decided Saddam was their ‘man.’
Now the race is on: will we get this international murderer before our election? Or will Osama continue to haunt – and taunt – us for years to come?