How Long Would It Take To Catch UBL?

[ThomWV]

I'm sorry to have used the acronym UBL, but I have no idea how to correctly Spell Ussama Bin Ladin.

But on to the question. How long do you think it would have taken the US military to catch UBL if we had devoted the resources to catching him in Afghanastan rather than wasting our time in Iraq?

Give it some thought, 120,000 or so troops, B-1 Bombers, Aircraft carriers off shore of Pakistan launching sortie after sortie of fighter aircraft, and the support of NATO to boot? My guess is three weeks and our troops could have come home. What's your guess?

[gWbush is Mabus]

1. i bet gore would have got him within 2 months

[stopthegop]

2. why?

seriously...what are your reasons for thinking that?

[fertilizeonarbusto]

4. For one

Gore's family hasn't been doing cozy bidness with the Bin Laden clan for thirty years...

[gWbush is Mabus]

8. because

Gore is intelligent.

He would have gone after Al Queda & OBL instead of Iraq.

He doesn't have conflicts of interest w/ oil, defense, and construction industries. and the family ties to binLaden

Dems, not wanting to look weak on defense, would have made it THE top priority.

[Timefortruth]

9. Also Gore would have had the resources to devote

that Chimp squandered on the invasion.

[swinney]

3. Osama bin Laden -- who cares --he is not important says Bush

Bush on 9-13-01--"The most important thing is for us is to find Osama bin Laden. He is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."

Few months later--3-13-02--Bush said "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

Please tell me this is not a recovering alcoholic!

[pinto]

5. a little off post, but I bet the Saudis could have him in a month,

but they won't.

ed for dyslexic spelling.

[UTUSN]

6. Oh, Till October, 2004, or Thereabouts

Coincidentally, the same timeframe for RAYGUN's, Poppy's, or Babs' shuffling off to the Great Beyond.

[Amerpie]

7. Catching OBL

Catching OBL won't stop Al Quaeda. It will just be a public relations coup. Centering the search on one person is a waste of resources, IF, the US government isn't simultaneously also trying to shut down the entire organization, something I feel is next to impossible.

When we fight terrorists, they win. When we prevent terrorism, we win.

[Karenina]

10. Amerpie, it's NOT an "organization"

in the way Americans understand that word. But your post is SPOT ON.

[ThomWV]

11. If My Understanding Is Correct You Are Correct

As I understand it al Quaida (sp?) is not an orginization at all in the way that we normally think of one. Its not like an Exxon by any means. Ossama doesn't plan anything, much as many of our philanthropic orginizatons do not plan. What the 'organization' does is enable plans of others who are like minded. As an example, of you and your buddys want to blow up the Washington Monument and you have figgured out a way you think you can do it but you need money and help from like minded people you can go to Al Quaida with your proposal, so to speak, and ask for whatever support you require. If they approve you get the support.

Is that your understanding as well?

[Karenina]

12. Close, but even more subtle.

AQ doesn't function like a bank loan officer. "Plans" take a back seat to family and community connexions. It's about trust. Financial transactions require no more than a scrap of paper and a cell phone number. Are you aware that charging interest on loans is forbidden in Islam? What little I have come to understand eludes my ability to explain to those whose Western reference points are so very different.

[rucky]

13. Eric Robert Rudolph

the Olympic bomber. the abortion clinic bomber.

He was hiding out for YEARS in the same area... with NO cash... right here in the US of A.

this October Surprise stuff doesn't make sense to me.