bin Laden jumps the shark?
In hunt for bin Laden, doubts raised on skills, funds
WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden remains public enemy number one, but recent developments raise questions about the ability of US forces to track down the elusive terrorist and the resources dedicated to the hunt more than three years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Fresh reminders of the unsuccessful search occur as intelligence officials indicated this week that bin Laden has been in contact with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top Al Qaeda figure in Iraq, enlisting his help in planning attacks inside the United States.
In a rare mention of his name yesterday, President Bush said bin Laden hopes to attack again on US soil and ''stopping him is the greatest challenge of our day."
''We're on a constant hunt for bin Laden. We're keeping the pressure on him, keeping him in hiding," Bush said at a ceremonial swearing-in for Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Current and former government officials say there is no doubt that the Bush administration wants bin Laden ''dead or alive," as the president said shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. But skills and dollars may fall short of desire.
Army General John Abizaid, chief of US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that bin Laden and the Al Qaeda senior leadership have been ''our priority target" since Sept. 11 but added, ''It's important for all of us to know that military forces do best in attacking the network as opposed to looking for a specific person."
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan said in December that ''the trail has gone cold," and US officials largely agree.
In the dry drunk world of George W. Bush, the importance of a thing is measured by the degree to which that thing is avoided. We have heard absolutely nothing from the Administration about ObL for about two years. Could it be that Osama's ability to act has jumped the shark?
WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden remains public enemy number one, but recent developments raise questions about the ability of US forces to track down the elusive terrorist and the resources dedicated to the hunt more than three years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Fresh reminders of the unsuccessful search occur as intelligence officials indicated this week that bin Laden has been in contact with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top Al Qaeda figure in Iraq, enlisting his help in planning attacks inside the United States.
In a rare mention of his name yesterday, President Bush said bin Laden hopes to attack again on US soil and ''stopping him is the greatest challenge of our day."
''We're on a constant hunt for bin Laden. We're keeping the pressure on him, keeping him in hiding," Bush said at a ceremonial swearing-in for Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Current and former government officials say there is no doubt that the Bush administration wants bin Laden ''dead or alive," as the president said shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. But skills and dollars may fall short of desire.
Army General John Abizaid, chief of US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that bin Laden and the Al Qaeda senior leadership have been ''our priority target" since Sept. 11 but added, ''It's important for all of us to know that military forces do best in attacking the network as opposed to looking for a specific person."
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan said in December that ''the trail has gone cold," and US officials largely agree.
In the dry drunk world of George W. Bush, the importance of a thing is measured by the degree to which that thing is avoided. We have heard absolutely nothing from the Administration about ObL for about two years. Could it be that Osama's ability to act has jumped the shark?
posted by bluememe at 3/04/2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home