Bush to Pakistan: Bring Me Osama Before Kerry's Acceptance Speech

[rjung]

Because I figure this will make Great debates soon enough:

July Surprise?

This spring, the administration significantly increased its pressure on Pakistan to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman Al Zawahiri, or the Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar, all of whom are believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. … This public pressure would be appropriate, even laudable, had it not been accompanied by an unseemly private insistence that the Pakistanis deliver these high-value targets (HVTs) before Americans go to the polls in November … The New Republic has learned that Pakistani security officials have been told they must produce HVTs by the election.

…A third source, an official who works under ISI’s director, Lieutenant General Ehsan ul-Haq, informed TNR that the Pakistanis “have been told at every level that apprehension or killing of HVTs before [the] election is [an] absolute must.” … according to this ISI official, a White House aide told ul-Haq last spring that “it would be best if the arrest or killing of [any] HVT were announced on twenty-six, twenty-seven, or twenty-eight July” – the first three days of the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Gosh, if the Administration had put this much pressure on the Pakistanis in 2002, maybe we could have caught Osama Bin Laden earlier and avoided that fiasco with Iraq. But then George wouldn’t have a stunt to disrupt the DNC with… decisions, decisions.

And if that’s not enough, Bush apparently doesn’t give two toots about tipping over the precarious balancing act currently raging between Pakistan and India:

During his March visit to Islamabad, Powell designated Pakistan a major non-NATO ally, a status that allows its military to purchase a wider array of U.S. weaponry. … But Powell conspicuously did not commit the United States to selling F-16s to Pakistan, which it desperately wants in order to tilt the regional balance of power against India. And the Pakistanis fear that, if they don’t produce an HVT, they won’t get the planes. Equally, they fear that, if they don’t deliver, either Bush or a prospective Kerry administration would turn its attention to the apparent role of Pakistan’s security establishment in facilitating Khan’s illicit proliferation network. One Pakistani general recently in Washington confided in a journalist, "If we don’t find these guys by the election, they are going to stick this whole nuclear mess up our asshole."

Maybe that can be the tag line for Bush’s new campaign ads: George W. Bush – Fighting Terrorism When It’s Politically Convenient.

[Atticus_Finch]

The news of the day:

• Bush Believes Capturing Osama Would Be Popular
• US Government Takes Action To Achieve Short-term Goals, Ignores Long-term Problems
• Francisco Franco Still Dead

[Northern_Piper]

Bush has evidently been keeping up on his Dilbert.

[RandMcnally]

But how many Americans care why he was caught, as long as he’s caught?

[MrTuffPaws]

Well Rand, it comes down to if beheading the dragon will really mean that much.

[rjung]

Presuming the story is true (and I suppose we’ll find out by the end of the month), it’s the sheer naked manipulation that really cheeses me off here. There doesn’t even seem to be a minimal attempt to be subtle; it’s like “Yeah, John Kerry will come out for the acceptance speech at 7:00PM, so make sure Osama’s capture gets leaked to the news media right after 2:00…”

[SuperDuperMan]

@MrTuffPaws

Well Rand, it comes down to if beheading the dragon will really mean that much.

From what I’ve read, taking down Osama won’t do nothing more than piss off every terrorist and their Momma. (Look Mommy, I made a ryme! )

Honestly though, all it’ll do is prevoke another attack and appease the masses here in the states. A major new outlet (CNN?) recently ran a report that Big Bin Landen is as much a figurehead as Queen Elizabeth, but if The Grand Supreme Lord and Dentist of Elbonia had her knocked off because it would make his approval rating go up, you know every living Brit and King George’s Uncle would revoke thier gun laws, just so they could go down to the local military surplus shop, grab a bazooka, and shove it so far up the afore mentioned dicator’s ass they could clean his teeth with it.

(I understand this is a bad example, because we have a reason to grab Osama, but I thought it was kinda funny, and have just now realized the power of the run-on sentence. Also to Northern Piper, Look a Dilbert the TV Show Refrence!)

[Rashak_Mani]

Well if you thought “stay the course” was staying on the same policy… you’re mistaken. Its more about “keep feeding them the same bull”. Apparently too many voters still appreciate the menu course offered.

" Bush defends stance on WMD "

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/10/senate.intelligence/index.html

Now that the Iraq war is obviously a political quagmire… he must show some terrorism credits.

[vanilla]

Do you think the American people would see through the obvious timing of it?

[Knorf]

They might, but the press will be utterly overhwelmed with the news, Kerry’s acceptance will get shunted aside, and he will consequently miss out on the little bump in the polls that tradiationally comes with the conventions, due to sheer lack of exposure.

Is there anyone doubting that this is exactly how it will turn out?

[Zagadka]

I thought Bush didn’t care about Osama, that he wasn’t a concern.

You mean the PRESIDENT… lied?

[elucidator]

Well, me. Not that they wouldn’t, only that maybe they can’t.

Musharaff is in a very tricky situation, damned if he does, boned if he doesn’t. The whole Islamist thing is very intensely popular in Pakistan, from what I gather. It is entirely plausible to suspect, and impossible to really know, that Al Queda sympathisizers are in a position to thwart any real attempt to comply with The Leader’s wishes. Witness the big whoop-de-doo of several weeks ago, when the press was all in a lather about Pakistan’s totally awesome offensive that, boy, just barely missed nailing ObL, and stuff.

Something like that is more plausible.

[Mehitabel]

Nah, guys, the events they’re planning to reveal right before Kerry’s speech is the capture of Saddam–whoops! Oh, no, wait, they’re gonna keep Reagan alive until right before the–damn!

Inshallah. It’ll happen when it happens.

[Stoid]

@vanilla

Do you think the American people would see through the obvious timing of it?

I continue to stand amazed and astonished that any reasonable person of good will, of average intelligence, with a modest amount of the most basic information, could believe in or support this administration in any way.

So, to answer your question… it seems they whould, doesn’t it? But the recent past would lead us to the depressing conclusion that too many won’t.

[minty_green]

From the “Breaking News” blurb at the top of the CNN page, mere hours before Kerry is to give his acceptance speech:

Security forces have captured a high-level al Qaeda operative in a raid in central Pakistan, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

[5_time_champ]

Hayat said the east African, who was sought internationally, was captured “a few days back,” and his capture shows “Pakistan is committed to fighting terrorism.”

Osama bin Laden is a lot things, but East African he is not.

[jk1245]

It’s (allegedly) Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a suspect in the 98 embassy bombings.

This is interesting

Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said Thursday the east African, who was sought internationally, was captured “a few days back.”

Wonder who else has been captured “a few days” ago and will be trotted out when the time is right?

[Jon_the_Geek]

@minty green

From the “Breaking News” blurb at the top of the CNN page, mere hours before Kerry is to give his acceptance speech:

Security forces have captured a high-level al Qaeda operative in a raid in central Pakistan, Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said.

For more on that news: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20040729/ts_nm/security_pakistan_alqaeda_dc

I’m just dumbfounded. Could what I was taking as a conspiracy theory actually be true?

[vibrotronica]

From Reuters via The Agonist:

Musharraf told Al Arabiya the suspect was arrested on Sunday, but declined to name him.

Arrested on Sunday, and yet we’re hearing about it now. Hmmmm…

Al Arabiya said the suspect may be Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian who is on the FBI’s most wanted “terrorists” list for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings by al Qaeda of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

[5_time_champ]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,127475,00.html

Of all the coincidences, who could believe the Pakistanis would “catch” a genuine Al Queda terrorist just hours before the finale of the 2004 DNC. :rolleyes: