Saddam is not enough in US poll year

[rodbarnett]

WASHINGTON : Finding Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaida mastermind, has become a priority issue for President George Bush during this election year, as his strategy is to project himself as a leader on national security issues.

The Pentagon is now redeploying a super-secret commando unit from Iraq to Afghanistan to step up the search for bin Laden, said a report in the Washington Times Monday.

The report that quoted a Defence Department official said there were two reasons for repositioning parts of the commando unit, known as Task Force 121.

First, most high-value human targets in Iraq , including Saddam Hussein, had been caught or killed. Second, intelligence reports were increasing on the whereabouts of bin Laden, the terror leader behind the September 11 attacks, the report said.

" Iraq has become more of a policing problem than a hunt for high-value Iraqis," the defence official said. " Afghanistan is the place where 121 can do more."


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/515107.cms

[NC_Nurse]

1. Why didn't they send the"super secret"

commandos before?

Where have our superheroes been? Surely not wasting their talents blowing up a country that was NO threat to us!!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. Because it is politically motivated

and if proven so then Bush is toast. I needn't explain why but this is seriously craven.

[rocktivity]

11. When you ask why the supersecret commandos weren't sent before

Do you mean before October 2004?

:headbang:
rocknation

[wysi]

14. OJ hired them...

... to find Nicole's killer.

[jayfish]

2. Finding Osama Has Just Now Become A Priority? -NT-

Jay

[denverbill]

3. Exactly my reaction. I thought Bush wasn't going to rest til he found him

Of course, that was before he decided to go gallivanting off chasing bogeyman Saddam.

[Hand]

4. Your are correct, sir...

Finding Saddam didn't give Chimpy a bump, so now he's stuck with actually finding a smart, elusive terrorist who's actually struck against the US on its own territory and could present a continuing threat to its national security...

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. 121 can do more

Oh Jesus, this has to be the biggest pile of shit yet. These idiots
would disappear about as fast as they could land them. There are damn good reasons why they haven't tried this before - The "121" is shit scared of Osama's boys. The only reason that they are being pushed into this, with nails dragging, is that chimp needs a win very badly, and is more than willing to spend as many of these "121" that it will take.

[demdave]

6. I highly doubt our special forces are "s* scared" "idiots".

If you have some sort of evidence of this, I would like to see it. These are some of the bravest and well trained men and women we have. While I am sure none of them relish being thrown into harms way I refuse to believe that "they are being pushed into this, with nails dragging."

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. relish being thrown into harms way

Well then, what the fuck are they being paid for then. Who cares what you believe.

Wasn't it some hapless 20 year old guy from the bay area named John Walker Lindh that basically single handedly infiltrated al-qaeda, wound up shaking Osamas hand, and who was KNOWN to be an american at the time by those guys?
All the while all these "brave young men and women" were filling out timecards, drinking coffee and working second jobs at home depot. Fuck the "121".

[chrisesq]

15. He said NONE of them relish being put in harms way.

I fail to see what John Walker Lindh has to do with this discussion at all. If I'm missing something please let me in on whatever you are trying to prove with that statement.

Furthermore, these soldiers are not "scared shitless" of Osama's boys as you say. Sure they may have some fear when the bullets start flying, every rational person would, but to say that they are scared shitless is ridiculous.

Also, don't let you hatred of Bush extend to the soldiers. Whether or not you agree with their mission should not have any bearing on your feelings toward the people forced into these missions.

[The_Casual_Observer]

16. Back in the day, Lindh unwittingly proved that it wasn't too tough

to get close to Bin Laden. However, it must have never occurred to these special forces people or those in charge to do it. Apparently, all these highly trained brave people found better use around the coffee urn than doing a risky infiltration.

I doubt that any of these units would be willing to meet a real fighting enemy face to face, as they would rather drop bombs from afar
and sort out the damage later. If it isn't the case, then explain why this "dangerous mountainous territory" hasn't been approached after all this time? Recall if you will the "heroic" fight at Torra Borra, where the battle was joined with high altitude bombs.

[leanings]

17. The sheer audacity

with which people display their level of ignorance regarding all things military never fails to leave me aghast at what kinds of folks are drawn to this board. I guess that's the drawback to an all-volunteer force; complete detachment from the majority of the civilian population.

[The_Casual_Observer]

23. Ok, then why?

[chrisesq]

18. How close did he get?

I've never read anything that suggested that he and Osama were hanging out with each other. As far as our human intelligence goes, your guess is as good as mine on if there was any infiltration by US forces or friendlies.

These forces are willing to meet forces face to face and have done so numerous times despite the fact that you can bring up one intance where they decided to drop bombs on them. Furthermore, I didn't realize that this had to be a fair fight. We have the technology to target enemies from afar, why shouldn't we use that? This isn't a boxing match where we place to evenly matched contenders and let them slug it out for several rounds. The goal in all armed conflicts is to defeat the ememy with as little loss to your own forces. Are we supposed to go in there and say: "Well, they don't have planes and satellite guided munitions, and to use that technology against them when considering that they are unable to likewise respond, just wouldn't be sporting would it? Just send in troops and see if we can beat them hand-to-hand, to hell with the loss of our soldiers' lives."

You can doubt all you want about the willingness to believe that our forces would fight face to face, but that does not make it true. I've met, served with, and been one of these forces. Denigrate Bush all you want, you won't find me arguing with you about that, however, to call in to question our forces willingness and ability to fight face to face is laughable.

[The_Casual_Observer]

22. The US can't win this

"Walker Lindh told his FBI interrogators that bin Laden visited the camp three to five times while he was there, usually with one of his sons. He said he met bin Laden once, for five minutes, with other recruits and that bin Laden "made small talk and thanked them all for taking part in the jihad." (More about meeting bin Laden)"

1st reference from google, CNN legal news.

The jihadis know that the US troops don't have the nerve to fight them in an effective way, so they remain out of reach.


"if there was any infiltration by US forces or friendlies."
I hope not, otherwise we sure didn't get our monies worth!

"that you can bring up one intance where they decided to drop bombs on them." Lets start with the failure of Torra Borra. We can then move on to the failure of the "Shock & Awe" campaign to do anything but destroy infrastructure and kill lots of ordinary Iraqi bystanders.

Apologize all you want for the US military, but it remains that they have been proven good for nothing but overrunning basically defenseless populations with armored tanks and big guns, not at all unlike the Soviet Army.

[leanings]

25. Jesus

"The jihadis know that the US troops don't have the nerve to fight them in an effective way, so they remain out of reach."

There's no point in arguing with anyone who believes that about Delta or SF operators or Rangers who compose 121. Or the 82 and 10th Mountain guys who've logged thousands of patrols thru the Afghan mountains on foot...do some reading, man. Get a grip on what's happening before you post on it.

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. So far there's been NOTHING on raids in the " tribal regions"

If there have been, it hasn't been reported. And, I doubt that any "triumph" however small or insignificant would be trumpeted far & wide as historic. The sad truth is that haven't gone there & they don't want to go there.

[smiley_glad_hands]

7. Its this "scared" rhetoric that the Right Wing holds over the

Democratic Pary. I doubt our forces are scared.

[Sgt. Peppers]

8. nothing can save Bush now.

I hope!!!!!

[catmandu57]

12. I'm in agreement sgt.

Getting OBL now will raise more questions than answer them, such as why now? three years too late. All of the resources put into going after a paper tiger, all of the dead and wounded there.
This is more rovian theory, he smells like yesterdays fish now and his boy is going down.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Too bad they let Osama escape from Tora Bora

when the Special Forces had him surrounded the first time. Instead the big guns showed up and shut down the operation, brought in the helicopters and took Osama for that free ride to freedom.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

19. Of course, if they asked the helicopter pilots where they dropped

him off, they might have a better idea where to look, no?

[iam]

20. This is proof

that the insane invasion of Iraq wasted and misdirected valuable resources from the hunt for the conservatives that did 9-11. On this single issue Democrats can win back Congress and the WH. Can we make an issue of it? Will someone ask the question; "where were these crack units for the last TWO years"? IN IRAQ?

[revree]

21. Osama is only going to be found when Karl Rove is ready to find him

and first there will be another big terrorism attack, mark my words. It's perfect Karl Rove strategy, get us terrified and subdued, then parade Osama around right before voting day.

How perfectly Rovian.

[0rganism]

24. Faaaantastic! Let's vote for the brave men of TF121, then

What's bush got to do with this operation? Diddly shit, that's what. Why their valor should rub off on the president who obviously doesn't give a rat's ass is quite beyond me -- especially when he's spent the last three years slashing veterans' benefits.

Banish Misfortune!