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Wed 21 Dec, 2005 07:32 am
Quote:Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden may no longer be able to run the militant network and has not been heard from for nearly a year, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Wednesday.
Rumsfeld said on a trip to Pakistan the Bush administration still considers it a priority to capture the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, who is believed to be hiding somewhere in mountains along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
"I think it is interesting that we haven't heard from him for close to a year," Rumsfeld told reporters en route to Islamabad.
"I don't know what it means, but I suspect in any event if he is alive and functioning that he is spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid being caught," Rumsfeld said.
"I have trouble believing he is able to operate sufficiently to be in a position of major command over a worldwide al Qaeda operation, but I could be wrong," he said.
Usually, I take news stories with a grain of salt, but this one had me shaking my head. If this is not a textbook example of "doublespeak", I don't know what is. It isounds like Rumsfeld has about as much knowledge of the comings and goings of Bin Laden as I do. With all the money and manpower that he has at his disposal, it would seem to me that he would have a more informed, intelligent answer than the one that the has proffered. What do you think?
I think Rumsfeld has been wrong so many times he is afraid to say anything one way or the other. He has no new information. The whole country is stairing into the fog together on a bus and Bush is driving it full speed and doesn't have a drivers licence.
I think this is likely to be true. We have done a good job in Afghanistan, in so far as concerns bottling up and severely restricting the activities of the rump of the Taliban and al Qaeda. I think we have done a piss poor job in vitiating the power of tribal warlords, however. Basically, the professionalism of the United States military, and our international allies is responsible for the success there.
The war in Iraq has been a disasterous diversion of resources from this fight, which is the real war on terror. It has also cost us the sort of unqualified international support we had after September 11th, and which made the Afghanistan war a success. Rummy only gets credit because this happened on his watch. His record is such that it is reasonable to assume that any success of the military happens despite him, and not because of him. The biggest problem that we continue to have in that region is Pakistan.
Well, gee Sammy, what are we to think?
You don't call... You don't write...
I don't know what it means either, but here's what I suspect about
Rumsfeld's announcement.
The spooks have been trying to identify and monitor all the conduits
Sammy would use to make a public statement. But he hasn't made one
for a very long time. Maybe calling him out will provoke him into into it.
Quote:"I think it is interesting that we haven't heard from him for close to a year," Rumsfeld told reporters en route to Islamabad.
I am sure Rummy will be getting his yearly Christmas card from Osama any time now. Assuming the US postal service hasn't lost it in transit.
Terrific! We've "won" the war, time to bring all the troops home.
I don't think this war will ever really end in my life time.
Rumsfeld is a very very bright guy (though I think him pathological). There is nobody in this administration slicker than he with speech. Reading collections of his quotes is as good an education in doublespeak as one might find. There was a news item yesterday of a fish found somewhere in the US that had two mouths and I immediately thought of Don.
As is very common with his statements, the one above is quite minus any information. But 'informing' isn't what mainly what Rummie is doing when he speaks. Much better to think of what he's doing as a species of impressionism...hinting at colors (the dark of evil, the shiny metal-bright of american intent) and the passing suggestions of things behind things.
Bin Laden is likely in Iran.
cjhsa wrote:Bin Laden is likely in Iran.
Not the conventional wisdom.
Why do you say that?
A guy I work with just got back from Afghanistan. He was bait.
He thinks Bin Laden is in Iran, and with the sudden world confrontation from the president of Iran, it make sense.
What do you think I mean?
Phoenix32890 wrote:Quote:A guy I work with just got back from Afghanistan. He was bait.
cjhsa- What do you mean by "he was bait"?
Well, all his friends called him "chum."
High-larious, Boss . . . an commensurate with the gravity of the referrant . . .
He and his buddies were used to draw out the Taliban from hiding.
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