Going After Bin Laden

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In 2004, a bin Laden video surfaced the weekend before the election, and some argued that it helped George Bush get re-elected. Do you think we ' ll see a video pop up again, and what sort of impact would it have?
It's hard to say if we're going to get a surprise from bin Laden. My guess would be no, and here's why. In the last three months or so, the administration has stepped up their efforts in the Northwest Frontier province significantly because they don't want President Bush to leave office before bin Laden is taken out. Now, even if bin Laden does come out with something I don't think it's going to sway voters too much. I think [Sen. Barack] Obama has been smart in saying, "Yes, bin Laden is an issue, and I will make sure in my time that he is taken out." I think if he was soft on Al Qaeda or promoting a departure from Afghanistan as he is in Iraq, then yes, it might sway voters. Here's the real key issue: whoever takes office is going to have very little time to make a difference in this area, and in the next four years will be faced with the question of do we stay or do we leave? It's the same challenge the Soviets were faced with when they were in Afghanistan. It's the same problem we will face regardless of whether it's [Sen. John] McCain or Senator Obama [in the White House.]

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Posted By: jbz7879 @ 02/26/2009 12:31:12 PM

this is a very subjective analysis hardly any objective evidence if he was even there in tora bora -looks like a totally misconceived misadventure with personal speculations about what was happenning
rather a mishap asv the entire afghan -pak-iraq operation has been with trillions wasted to create a bankrupt economy -
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Posted By: Combat Goldfish @ 11/05/2008 3:18:09 PM

You don't have to convince someone to go to war if they've already swore and signed the dotted line. More troops may or may not work, however, we're not really doing anything to speed up the processes of bringing this part of history to an end.
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Posted By: Trooper101st @ 11/03/2008 8:17:53 AM

Do not understand why Army Rangers, or other QRF's from XVIII Airborne Corps were not rushed to the battlefield. Some units are supposed to be in the air within 18 hours. Why weren't they used? Operation Anaconda did not achieve its objectives, LZ's were hot with AQ/T-ban, they had the high ground, our intel was bad. There is a need for light, small UAV's at platoon and even sqaud level. It would be nice to know wats on the other side of the ridge, and it would help prevent ambush. Thank God for the Carl Gustav, also known as RAAWS, it was critical in taking out bunkers and killing hadji's in caves. The DoD should concentrate on this war, not on one that may never happen. Some parts of the FCS are good for today, the rest should be put on the back burner. We will be fighting these kinds of battles for the next 10 yrs.