Ridge Sidesteps Question On Bin Laden's Capture (With Poll!)

[frank frankly]

Check out the poll question on the page!!!

I voted!

:bounce:
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http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2917298/detail.html

BANGKOK, Thailand -- The homeland security secretary is denying Osama bin Laden is already in U.S. custody.

When asked by reporters in Thailand if the al-Qaida leader is hemmed in -- and would be caught or killed closer to November to boost President George W. Bush's popularity -- Tom Ridge didn't answer the question directly.

Instead, he said "with the help" of American allies, the United States continues to pursue him. Ridge also said he has "no doubt within time" the United States will track bin Laden down and "bring him to justice."


Earlier, Iranian state radio reported bin Laden had been captured and that Bush was withholding the announcement until the elections.

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on edit: ADDED POLL TO TITLE!

[MrBenchley]

1. Interesting, isn't it?

I can't imagine the question being asked aloud six months ago...much less a newspaper poll on the subject...

And last time I looked, a majority thought it would be an election stunt...in the Lone Star State!

[frank frankly]

5. exactly!!!

this is on the local ABC website. and of course they are terrible with the news!!!

sweet!

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cocoa]

10. I'm surprised too

I was shocked when I first heard Jay Leno make a joke about this, but it's turned into a running joke, and it seems more people laugh each time. :-)

[frank frankly]

11. it is wonderful, isn't it

makes me bounce

:bounce:

[Khephra]

26. More and more comedians are doing bits on this topic

I don't like Colin Quinn's show, but sometimes I have it playing in the background while waiting for something else to start. One of the guests on the show did this joke about how they should check for freezer burns on OBL when he's "captured".

[joeunderdog]

2. They should continue to ask him on record about this.

I thought with the last round of stories about the imminent capture that they knew where he was and were just tracking him. I'm believing this more and more and we should continue to corner them on it.

If I was Shrub, I'd do it sooner than later. Ole MO-mentum is gathering for JFK2.

[DIKB]

3. Keep it flowing.

Don't let people be caught by surprise, let everyone know that if OBL is captured ANYTIME this year, it will be done ONLY to boost *'s record and his popularity. I for one won't let anyone I know not look at this with a critical eye.

[July]

15. Caught or not, the stepped-up election year interest smells

Remember, one of Bush's biggest flip-flops was the "priority" that OBL was a couple of days after 9/11, followed one year later by "he's not a priority." And, suddenly, he is again.

I'd like to know why he stopped being a priority. Then I'd like to know why he became one again. Then I'd like to know how much sooner we could have caught him if we hadn't diverted resources from Afghanistan to Iraq. Then I'd like to know how we can afford to launch the spring Osama hunt NOW when we couldn't do it BEFORE.

Oh, that's right, the election's coming.

[Barrett808]

4. Current poll results: 37% say election stunt, 44% say no relation

2803 37% Yes. It will be an election stunt.
1456 19% No. I think he's already been caught and that will be announced closer to the election.
3365 44% No. I don't know when he'll be caught, but it has nothing to do with elections.

[Just Me]

7. I would note that 56% believe either he's already been caught or,...

,...it will be a political stunt. Pretty telling numbers, doncha' think! :D

[frank frankly]

8. that is something, isn't it?

i noticed that, too

:;):

[Zardeenah]

9. Fun!

A substantial majority think that UBL will be used as an election stunt. That's amazing. That gives me hope that it won't work. (A total of 56% to 44% believe that UBL has either been captured or will be captured to influence the election, as of this post.)

We need to keep up hammering these issues until the second category is down to an insignificant number.

Thanks for posting this! It's so nice to see! :)

Susan

[BiggJawn]

12. Why is Tommy Timbertoes in Thailand?

Isn't that where Neil Bush says pre-teen girls break into your hotel room and plant themselves on your Morning Wood while you say "No! no!"?

Osama's not there, Tom, just Neil's ho's....

[frank frankly]

17. Tom is far from the Homeland, is he not?

:kick:

[I AM SPARTACUS]

21. his next tour-stop...Central African Republic...

[Lorien]

13. kick

:kick:

[missile_bender]

14. John Kerry needs to make the point right now before the capture, if any,

is announced that it is irrelevent to our security. The only way to get them to stop attacking us (if they did in the first place) is to get our troops out of the Middle East, and stop giving billions of dollars to Israel. "Terrorists" don't attack us for nothing, or because they're "jealous of us". They would attack us because we're over there effing with them. You want security, get out of the Middle East.

[klook]

16. Sorry, I disagree

How would Kerry score points by claiming that capturing bin Laden is irrelevant to U.S. security? That was true for Saddam Hussein, but cutting off the head (or figurehead) of al-Qaeda is a different story.

I do agree with you that to reverse the trend of terrorism, the U.S. must change its policy toward Israel and the Palestinians.

Update on the poll results--still holding at 56% for "lying scumbag dirty tricksters":
3276 37% Yes. It will be an election stunt.
1709 19% No. I think he's already been caught and that will be announced closer to the election.
3930 44% No. I don't know when he'll be caught, but it has nothing to do with elections.

[yltlatl]

20. Bin Who?

But capturing bin Laden IS irrelevant to our security. As the bushies never tire of telling us, Al Qaeda operates in "decentralized cells" with a "non-hierarchical command structure" (I agree: it's best for operational security, and that's how the CIA teaches people to do it). Catching bin Laden was NEVER anything but a symbolic act--another piece of potential propaganda (look at the way the US and Pakistan dance around their "operations" to track him down). Security people seem to think he's communicating with his network via couriers--how could he possibly give anything but the broadest strategic orders to his field operations?

I mean, I don't think Kerry should literally say bin Laden's irrelevant, but he should point it out for the red herring it is and put forward his proposal for effectively combatting terrorism.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi yltlatl!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Just Me]

23. Welcome, yltlatl *smile*,...

,...and I appreciate your perspective. In my view, however, Kerry should point out how terrorist acts are being manipulated by this administration in order to carry out an agenda hidden from the American people. The "war on terrorism" is really a calculated diversion from a scheme of power and profit by a corrupt, lying cabal.

[yltlatl]

24. Glad to be here!

Thanks!

I don't disagree, I just think there are a couple of things at work here. One is that Kerry has to operate in a political environment where Bin Laden's importance is super-charged and he can't just ignore OBL unless he can radically re-frame the debate--hopefully along the lines you point out (and I fervently hope he can do this).

The other is that although terrorism is certainly exploited by this administration and many like it around the world, it really exists and we really are at risk of being victims. I think that the only viable long-term solution to terrorism is essentially global income redistribution: the rich countries have to stop exploiting the poor countries and actively support them in achieving sustainable economic development without ideological strings attached. Only this solution attacks the root--or at least on of the prime enablers--of the problem. In the short-term, though, I don't think that we waste our effort on POLICE (as opposed to military) action at the strategic and tactical levels to try to prevent indiscriminate acts of violence. The pursuit of OBL is both a) a military action where a police action would be more appropriate and b) a misapplication of resources--no one is directly threatened by OBL.

[llmart]

18. I just voted also.

Gotta keep those two words out there and plant them in people's minds: "election stunt".

[frank frankly]

19. election stunt!

:kick:

[Barrett808]

25. Current numbers: 37% say stunt, 42% say not, 21% say already caught

5374 37% Yes. It will be an election stunt.
2959 21% No. I think he's already been caught and that will be announced closer to the election.
6014 42% No. I don't know when he'll be caught, but it has nothing to do with elections.