From The Huffington Post -- 11/28/09
Senate Report: Bin Laden Was 'Within Our Grasp' In 2001
CALVIN WOODWARD 11/28/09 11:33 PM
WASHINGTON — 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.
Staff members for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared the report at the request of the chairman, Sen. John Kerry, as President Barack Obama prepares to boost U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate has long argued the Bush administration missed a chance to get the al-Qaida leader and top deputies when they were holed up in the forbidding mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan only three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Although limited to a review of military operations eight years old, the report could also be read as a cautionary note for those resisting an increased troop presence there now.
More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks.
"Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the report says. "But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism."
The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least. It says that a review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants "removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora."
On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," where he is still believed to be based, the report says.
Instead of a massive attack, fewer than 100 U.S. commandos, working with Afghan militias, tried to capitalize on air strikes and track down their prey.
"The vast array of American military power, from sniper teams to the most mobile divisions of the Marine Corps and the Army, was kept on the sidelines," the report said.
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33 comments:
It sounds as if Dubya didn't want to catch Bin Laden for his own dubious purposes such as diverting the attention to Iraq instead of Afghanistan. To date, if Bin Laden is still alive, no-one has ever caught him regardless of the 25 million bounty on his head. Strange huh?
Good work Dubya..... creating 2 Vietnam like wars..... instead of getting the man who claimed responsibility of 9/11. Or is Bin Laden only a fiction, made up by Dubya?
Anon2: I don't believe that these wars have been conducted well from the begining. Afganistan should have been taken care of quickly and Iraq shouldn't have happened. But to wonder if Bin Ladin is real or not is kind of strange.
(I believe Oliver North warned us of Bin Ladin in the 1980's)
Unfortunatley we are STILL handling this situation as we did in VietNam.
"But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide."
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Can't help but think the cons wanted it that way.
"This approach, called COIN, has reshaped military thinking, starting with the junior officers who developed it and then spreading simultaneously up and down the chain of command."
"COIN is phenomenally expensive. It consists of doing a lot of things at once — from increasing troop levels to nation-building — and doing them over a long period of time. America no longer has that kind of money"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/opinion/01brooks.html?_r=1
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Brooks is considered a con in some sectors. If I was a con, I would claim Brooks, as he's the smartest one on that side.
"Arming Goldman With Pistols Against Public"
"The banker had told this friend of mine that senior Goldman people have loaded up on firearms and are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist uprising against the bank."
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=ahD2WoDAL9h0
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Hey HOOT, you may have to borrow some weapontry from BB to protect both your idols from mayhem.
Okay, Bin Laden exists or existed, no-one knows today if he's alive or not. Perhaps the Pentagon knows.
To clarify what I said in my earlier post. He definitely exists or existed. But one has to consider every possibility if he really was the man responsible for 9/11 even though he said so. Fake tapes? Who would know?....
I never trusted and never will trust a CON government.
Casey said:
"Unfortunatley we are STILL handling this situation as we did in VietNam."
I agree. Too bad that no-one learns from history.
"I agree. Too bad that no-one learns from history. "
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And we all agree, by definition, cons live in the past and hate change.
con⋅serv⋅a⋅tive
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
You couldn't be more wrong RG. I am all for change. Change the parties, get rid of all of the current administration, congress, and senate, change the current rate of spending, the list goes on...
"I am all for change. "
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You sound like the definition of a progressive.
"the current rate of spending, the list goes on... "
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I agree with Krugman, and say spend another trillion on stimulus. He says our current debt relative to other countries is not that bad.
How 'bout this one:
LONDON (AP) - Britain's University of East Anglia says the director of its prestigious Climatic Research Unit is stepping down pending an investigation into allegations that he overstated the case for man-made climate change.
"get rid of all of the current administration, congress, and senate, "
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Right Case, and you probably want to put Palin in for president. That's not change Case. Thats w redux, only dumber.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spent $2,993 in taxpayer money on flowers between June and October. House Majority Whip James Clyburn has a thing for Chantilly Donuts, spending about $265 at the Virginia shop in the past quarter. And Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), a fiscal conservative, decided to give about $2,000 in unused office funds back to the government to help reduce the deficit.
Wow. Pelosi really loves the poor. Just think how many meals for the poor $2,993 would buy. Let's face it, guys, these people are way out of touch and very elitist. And lets not forget her much upgraded luxury jet. C'mon. It isn't cons vs. libs---this is simple. Get rid of her and people like her, and replace with people that will really work for the good of the people.
Case Sweety, you still think tax cuts and de-regulation are the answer to all US ills?
Off topic, but somehow related since a con has enough of the Repubs. See the reasons why. Look who's jumping ship!! Couldn't resist posting the entire article. lol
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/01/little-green-footballs-ch_n_375357.html
"Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs, a conservative-leaning political blog, officially announced his break with the right in a post on Monday evening. Johnson is co-founder of Pajamas Media, and Little Green Footballs has been named one of the top 100 most popular blogs.
Succinctly titled "Why I Parted Ways With The Right," Johnson's post argues against the fanaticism of politicians like Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Pat Buchanan as well as the conservative blogosphere ("Hatred for President Obama that goes far beyond simply criticizing his policies, into racism, hate speech, and bizarre conspiracy theories (see: witch doctor pictures, tea parties, Birthers, Michelle Malkin, Fox News, World Net Daily, Newsmax, and every other right wing source)"). He also cites the "anti-Islamic bigotry that goes far beyond simply criticizing radical Islam, into support for fascism, violence, and genocide." He concludes:
The American right wing has gone off the rails, into the bushes, and off the cliff.
I won't be going over the cliff with them.
This isn't the first time that Johnson has expressed discontent with the right. Dave Weigel at the Washington Independent has been tracking Johnson's political transition over the past year. "Way back in April," Weigel writes, "I talked to Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs about his very public arguments with fellow "warbloggers" whom, he believed, had gone off the rails. Johnson told me that he'd never considered himself a 'conservative.'"
Great article A2. Thank You Know Who there are a few sane people out there.
Today's right is truly crazy.
Great article, Anon 2. Thanks for sending it in. I've posted it.
Case Sweety, you still think tax cuts and de-regulation are the answer to all US ills?
No. I think that selfish, self serving politicians need to be removed from office. It is a start.
Does anyone want to comment on this disgusting waste of taxpayer money at a time that people are at foodbanks?
No Comment on the waste. After you cons let the glorious bankers get away with trillions, I am not going to worry about a few waste. You're comparing firecrackers and atom bombs again. The both go bang, but there is a big difference.
That is so lame, RG and you know it. Because she is a big wrinkled Liberal elitist, she gets a pass???
I thought you guys voted for a "change". Change starts wherever there is a need. This witch is VERY wealthy. If she wants her stupid flowers, she needs to buy them herself. If this was a Republican, you guys would be crawling up their ass over this!
"Because she is a big wrinkled Liberal elitist"
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Boy, I hardly even notice her. She seems to evoke the same on the right as Palin does on the left. Lets compare the 2.
Palin so called pretty. Pelosi not as pretty.
Palin Dumb. Pelosi not so dumb.
Palin lies. Pelosi seldom lies.
Ok I see your point. Palin is pretty (to some) and you cons hate the truth. :-)
GD, I am getting snocked early. Glad I can still code and get snocked at the same time. And write here also.
Again, RG. That is lame as hell. And you are giving her a pass because she is a liberal. I see how this goes.
Comon Case, JHC, its only a few thousand dollars for the flowers.
Regarding the jet, isn't she third in line for the presidency? Obama as around 6 747s at his disposal. I'm sure Biden has jet privileges also.
Casey said...
"If she wants her stupid flowers"
Can't compare her stupid flowers with the spending that Dubya did with creating 2 unnecessary wars.
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/news_detail.asp?newsID=31
Excerpt:
Since 2001, even with record low inflation, U.S. federal spending has increased by a massive 28.8% (19.7% in real dollars)—with non-defense discretionary growth of 35.7% (25.3% in real dollars)—the highest rate of federal government growth since the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. This increase has resulted in the largest budget deficits in U.S. history, an estimated $520 billion in fiscal year 2004 alone. Furthermore, the projected spending for 2005 is a conservative estimate, since it doesn’t include at least $50 billion for the 2005 cost of the Iraq occupation.
As predicted by Independent Institute Senior Fellow Robert Higgs, author of such key books as Crisis and Leviathan and the new Against Leviathan, this explosion of government power would only have been possible in the aftermath of 9/11. Times of crisis present the easiest opportunities for politicians to take advantage of a frightened American public.
President George W. Bush is now on his way to becoming the first full-term president since John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) to not veto a single bill. The result is a congress that has been completely unconstrained in satiating its appetite for pork and corporate welfare."
See the website for the stats & percentages of all presidents since LBJ.
Pelosi's flowers are peanuts compared to the above eh? lol
The Conservative Modus Operandi, A2, is to enrage their stampeding Dittoheads with tales of Nancy Pelosi's $2,300 expenditure on flowers so these Far Right Dunderheads will pay no mind to the billions of dollars that the Right-Wing consistently steals, plunders and wastes. It's called Waving a Red Flag in front of a Bull.
Fortunately for the Right-Wing, their Dunderhead followers all seem to have the intelligence of Bulls. If Madrid wants to learn about the Running of the Bulls, they can take a lesson from the Good Old USA. We Run our Bulls every day, not just once a year as in Spain.
Comon Case, JHC, its only a few thousand dollars for the flowers.
Regarding the jet, isn't she third in line for the presidency? Obama as around 6 747s at his disposal. I'm sure Biden has jet privileges also.
She had a perfectly good jet. She needed a better jet. Her home state is BROKE. I think it would be a nice jesture to forgo the flowers ($2993) or pay for them herself. If I wanted flowers for my office, I have always had to pay for them myself.
This is just another pass that you are giving her because she is a liberal. As I said before, if this was a republican you would all be up in arms. So typical.
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Thank you, Anonymous. I'm glad this post was able to help you with your college assignment. It sounds like you had a pretty savvy college instructor.
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Thank you, Anonymous. That's very kind of you. I'll try to keep it going.
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