Experts: Capturing bin Laden won't end al Qaeda threat

[Khephra]

Experts: Capturing bin Laden won't end al Qaeda threat

By JAMES STERNGOLD
San Francisco Chronicle
06-SEP-04

Although Osama bin Laden has eluded what is perhaps the largest manhunt in history, the United States continues its pursuit in the hope that, by decapitating al Qaeda, it will with one stroke turn the tide in the war on terror. The hunt has been central to U.S. antiterrorism strategy, and sense of national pride, almost from the day the twin towers fell _ three years ago this week.

More and more experts now reject that objective as an illusion.

Former government officials, intelligence operatives and Arab scholars argue that removing the titular head of al Qaeda may feel good for Americans bent on vengeance, but it could prove irrelevant to reducing the threat to the United States because of the near-total transformation of the terrorist menace over the past three years.

"Killing him is not a silver bullet," said James Jay Carafano, a senior fellow and defense expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington. "Cutting off the head can be significant, but I wouldn't argue that it will stop the threat or end the war on terror. We should disabuse people of that notion."

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=BINLADEN-09-06-04

[leftchick]

1. as my nine year old son would say.....

Duh!

[UrbScotty]

2. I was just going to say that. (nt)

[chaumont58]

3. When the repukes were beating on Clinton for missing.....

Bin Laden when he was in the Sudan, I was wondering is the terrorist movement one man? I don't think this is a recent change. I think the movement all along was more than one person, but chimpie and his sychophants wanted to blame yet one more thing on Clinton.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. File it under "No shit Sherlock" category..

n/t

[Rose Siding]

5. Anyone else think it would have gone a ways to get him way back?

I mean, before he was turned into the icon of anti-Americanism? A US led, UN mandate to provide food and clean water world wide for thirty billion on our part, an arrest and a legitimate war-crimes trial and *we* aren't the enemy- extremist killers are the enemy.

Anyone think that would have worked then and now never can?

[graywarrior]

6. In fact, capture will escalate the threat.

[Rose Siding]

7. I agree

At this point he is iconic- a mythical David to our Goliath and every step Bush has taken has reenforced that image.

I was just playing shoulda-woulda and letting my inner bleeding heart out for a quick dance.

[daleo]

8. Ossama has to be played down now, since Bush hasn't caught him

A few days back we heard how he probably doesn't really have hundreds of millions and probably didn't bankroll 911. Now we are being told (in effect) he isn't really the head of Al Queda, or at least is not pivotal to their survival. Eventually we will hear that he was just an errand boy, of no importance.

[Cha]

9. It will make it worse! No, "killing him is not a

silver bullet"..It will only strenghten their cause for recruiting terrorists. Because it will put the bushes up at center stage again on what they've done in the Middle East in the name of advancing their own Power. ANd highlighting how they are doing this only for political survival.