Bush's plans falter, al Qaeda establishes new base of operations
By Steve Benen Monday Jun 30, 2008 7:30amIn late 2007, Bush administration officials drafted a secret plan, giving the Defense Department's Special Operations forces greater ease to go into the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the goal of targeting al-Qaida's top leaders.
The plan sounded very encouraging on paper -- it would sidestep turf wars between Washington and Islamabad, and target high-value targets where we know they are. So what happened? More than six months later, the plan has not yet been executed, and the Special Operations forces are still standing by, waiting for orders. Bureaucratic disputes within the administration have slowed the whole initiative down to a stop.
The New York Times reports that it's all part of a broader problem with Bush's counterterrorism strategy.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush committed the nation to a "war on terrorism" and made the destruction of Mr. bin Laden's network the top priority of his presidency. But it is increasingly clear that the Bush administration will leave office with Al Qaeda having successfully relocated its base from Afghanistan to Pakistan's tribal areas, where it has rebuilt much of its ability to attack from the region and broadcast its messages to militants across the world ...
Just as it had on the day before 9/11, Al Qaeda now has a band of terrorist camps from which to plan and train for attacks against Western targets, including the United States. Officials say the new camps are smaller than the ones the group used prior to 2001. However, despite dozens of American missile strikes in Pakistan since 2002, one retired C.I.A. officer estimated that the makeshift training compounds now have as many as 2,000 local and foreign militants, up from several hundred three years ago.
Publicly, senior American and Pakistani officials have said that the creation of a Qaeda haven in the tribal areas was in many ways inevitable -- that the lawless badlands where ethnic Pashtun tribes have resisted government control for centuries were a natural place for a dispirited terrorism network to find refuge. The American and Pakistani officials also blame a disastrous cease-fire brokered between the Pakistani government and militants in 2006.
But more than four dozen interviews in Washington and Pakistan tell another story. American intelligence officials say that the Qaeda hunt in Pakistan, code-named Operation Cannonball by the C.I.A. in 2006, was often undermined by bitter disagreements within the Bush administration and within the C.I.A., including about whether American commandos should launch ground raids inside the tribal areas.
Inside the C.I.A., the fights included clashes between the agency's outposts in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Islamabad. There were also battles between field officers and the Counterterrorist Center at C.I.A. headquarters, whose preference for carrying out raids remotely, via Predator missile strikes, was derided by officers in the Islamabad station as the work of "boys with toys."
The article went on to explain that many of the top, experienced intelligence officers who would have been assigned to the al Qaeda hunt weren't available. As one official put it, "Those people all went to Iraq. We were all hurting because of Iraq."
So the war in Iraq created an opportunity for al Qaeda to recruit more terrorists and, at the same time, made it harder to go after al Qaeda terrorists.
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I'm Shocked. shocked I tell you.
If you catch Bin Laden how you going to scare people into voting for republicans ?
That's what you get when you invade a nation for a non-state group's activities and then get distracted by the next shiny thing in the sandbox. The Preznit brought it upon himself. Any future American deaths from antagonized radical Muslims (or their radical Christian counterparts, should a Democrat win in November) will on his head be. And Mr. Preznit, there's no river to wash these oceans incarnadine off your hands.
Troop deaths in Afghanistan top Iraq toll.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25463822
A disgrace. But, not at all surprising. Thank you, George Moron Bush for making our country less safe. Thank you for lining the pockets of all your wealthy buddies in the oil and defense industries at the expense of the rest of us... you know, the other 98% of the country.
Pig.
mudshark @ 4:
Again, running from the first war to the next shiny thing doesn't work that well. It won't end up well for us, either.
First of all the idea of a ''war on terrorism" was so freakin' wrong. Instead of that sort of bs, the US should have gone after al qaeda with special ops or whatever it took. Forget the screwin' war shit. Second, we all know invading Iraq at that time was insane. So here we are, seven years after the attacks and what the fu*k has been accomplished? Not one damned thing and it's cost Americans and Iraqis dearly. We're broke in more ways than one and there are thousands more new graves. That will be bush's legacy.
The NYT also reported that after Colin Powell and Richard Armitage left, there was no one in the administration who had a relationship with Musharraf. Bush never asked Musharraf to stop brokering peace deals in the tribal areas and go after al Qaeda instead.
But Bush has never been focused on al Qaeda. His focus has been on his grand plan to "democratize" the Middle East starting with Iraq and then proceeding against Iran. Bush believes that doing that will defeat al Qaeda. It won't. But Bush creates his own reality.
Yeah, history will remember boosh kindly.
To catch Bin Laden, the US should turn women loose that are going through the change of life. They'll find him. Hell, they would crawl on all fours to get that bastard. Then we could truly say "Mission Accomplished"!!!!!!!!
Leslie @ 7:
Often times people who create their own reality are called insane.
According to Sy Hersh in the New Yorker our spec-ops and black ops are too busy trying to provoke a war with Iran. They are spending long periods of time in Iran as terrorists basically. Cheney thinks we need a third front, so we can lose three wars at once. Plus if we actually snuff alQaeda whats the justification of the money we squander on DOD?
(hussien)moondancer @ 11:
We could always go back what was happening in the 1990s and paint the PRC as the bad guy. Had 9/11 not happened, China would have taken the place of Islamism, and for the Chinese, it would be the 1880s all over again. You are too optimistic.
rain @ 9:
70 menopausal women instead of 70 virgins?
But we're making progress
Now if osama would only leave the toilet seat up
He'd be history.
Exactly Andy! Of course W couldn't actually capture or kill Bin Laden, now anymore than he could at Tora Bora in 2001. Bin Laden got away and I could just see George doing his Maxwell Smart impression (missed it by THAT MUCH!), followed of course, by the knowing smile and the ol' wink, wink, nudge nudge. If he had captured or killed Bin Laden in 2001, he would have NEVER been able to sell the Iraq war in 2002. There would have been (as much as possible) a feeling that we had "gotten" the guy that did 9/11. The public would have never allowed the Iraq war to happen.
So, while I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, I really do believe that Bin Laden was allowed to escape from Tora Bora. This along with many other Bush administration snafu's have caused this country to be less safe and yet somehow, the myth of Republican strength on national security continues.
Jeez, there's a whole bunch of morons walking around out there.....
Never ending war = never ending profits.
Imagine what the economy would look like if our soldiers were back in the U.S. trying to look for a job now.
Our local grocery stores has requests for a job 30-35 times a day and they turn everyone away.
yeah, bush and plans, they don't go well together. falter, is only one way to put it.
A buck says this report doesn't make it into the television news programs. Not even the 24 hour 'news' channels that repeat the same drivel over and over again for days on end because they need to fill up the time slots.
And it's not because there's a conspiracy to suppress it. It's just that the news channels are driven by ratings, and very few Americans find this interesting anymore. Why? Because they've got CLUSTER F@CK FATIGUE! If the Bushies ever do anything RIGHT....now THAT would be news!
Over the last four weeks 102 House Democrats and 117 Republicans have agreed to cosponsor a new resolution against Iran that demands that President Bush “initiate an international effort” to impose a land, sea, and air blockade on Iran to prevent it from importing gasoline and to inspect all cargo entering or leaving Iran.
Such a blockade imposed without United Nations authority (which the resolution does not call for) could be widely construed as an act of war. Some congressional sources say the House could vote on the resolution, H.Con.Res. 362, very soon.
Please send a letter asking your Representative to oppose this dangerous path that could lead directly to war with Iran.
http://capwiz.com/justforeignpolicy/home/
Pericles @ 19:
There are ZERO embedded reporters in Iraq or Afghanistan. That is how news worthy it is.
If your objective is to establish long term military bases in the Middle East and rev up the weapons manufacturing sector, then these results would be beneficial to your mission. Heck of a job dub. I assume you will be rewarded well for accomplishing your mission. And you liberals called him stupid and a terrible leader.
ysbaddaden @ 13:
golden girl recruits from boca raton?
Pericles @ 19:
They have no time for this story because they are still amping up the General Clark/McCain story. They are stoking that story they created for all it's worth.
John Harwood was on Morning Joe this morning and he said if Obama had gotten the sunnis and shiites mixed up the way McCain did, it would have been a story that would have lasted a week but because it was McCain who made the mistake, it was only a one day story.
How telling is that remark by Harwood?
andy @ 2:
Do nothing to stop the next terrorist attack by another bin Laden type?
Besides, if the Republicans don't have an enemy they'll create one to try to scare people into voting against their own best interests.
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 1:
Me too!!!!
republican = insanity!
pissed off patricia @ 24:
One day? It did not even last that long.
What was even worse was Deputy Dog LIEberman had to whisper in McCain's ear to get him to correct himself. Later on in that day McCain did it again and did not correct himself because no whispered to him he mixed up again.
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 1:
Don't tase me bro.
StirFry @ 23:
Golden girls are at that age where instead of going to dress makers they go to dross removers.
Unless you're talking about Susan Anton.
Come to think of it, she may be at that age now too.
StirFry @ 23:
There are certainly enough of them down here!
jnratliff @ 27:
Explain to me how Pelosi or Lieberman are any different. This isn't a Republican or Democrat issue. This is about war, changing the president's title to King and our titles to serfs. Unfortunately, this ideology has deeply infected both parties and all branches of the government.
.
While al Qaeda guys are back on the monkey bars and working out again, Lieberman thinks they'll be ready enough to attack us in 2009. And Dana Purina and Bushco agree!!. How about that! This will be the final "FUCK YOU MERIKA! " by the bush administration. Unbelievable.
.
Flash @ 22:
Exactly. If anyone takes the time to read the PNAC docs (written back in the late 90's by Wolfowitz, Perle, Kristol, Bolton, etc.) you'd know that everything that has happened in our world over the past 8 was carefully planned by the neo-cons - though not necessarily implemented in a competent manner.
The New Pearl Harbor happened right on schedule; the invasion of Iraq was the follow-up to get our first forward bases in the ME established (and, of course, access to steal their oil, just really getting underway now); creating a "new fairy tale" about Iran and sending in covert ops goons to foment unrest is the prelude to the culmination of Cheney's fondest wet dream - owning all the oil in Persia!
Bin Laden, as you may recall, was a CIA-paid operative for a number of years (much like our relationship with Saddam) - we loved him before we hated him. I seriously doubt he had anything whatsoever to do with 9/11 (I'm sure he didn't have the power to stand-down NORAD for the day?, etc.) and if he's not already dead from murder (according to Bhutto) he's succumbed to kidney disease. No matter - as long as 'Merkins are scer-r-red of him, Cheney, Bush, LIEberman and McPain will keep him "alive and well," if only in their minds.
We don't really need to be too concerned about al quaeda anymore - once we or the Israelis bomb-bomb-bomb- Iran - all the rest of this crap will be moot. Chill.
Amitola @ 34:
For instance:
A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
StirFry @ 33:
LOL!!! That footage is always funny....
Al-QaEda --- seriously? People have the time to fear some boogie men than the real terrorist operating in the white house...really!!?!
I seem to remember something about a mass exodus of career help from the CIA.
That's because Bush's goal isn't to decrease terrorism in any real meaningful way but to increase it. If people are scared they stay with the team that talks the toughest. That's how he got elected in 2004 in the first place. Everybody knew by then Bush wasn't competent, yet they re-elected him on the faulty idea that he'd keep them safer than Kerry. Listen to any one of his speeches back then and it's all "Ter'ist, Ter'ist, Ter'ist". If he were to actually get rid of all the terrorists he'd put himself out of a job.
I stumbled on to this old news.....
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/07/1857210
Stumbled on to this bit of news:
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/07/1857210
sorry for the DUP
mission accomplished...al-qaeda brought to you with american tax $ since 1979
It's all B.S. folks. Al Qaeda is a worn joke. The less energy we give them the better. They were created by the U.S. government to justify Halliburton and Jenna Bush's wedding. Turn out the lights, the party's over.
This is a dubious assertion because the number is too precise; but asks us to believe that they can't solve the problem:
When the numbers increase, they should have an earier time targeting them. They're not doing that.
What is the basis for the number?
Why is this "increase" a problem, when the "increase" whould mean an easier time stumglinb upon them
Why should we believe the number is real?
What methods were used to guess there was an increase?
What factors/problems are explained away by this increase?
Is the increase related to a real number, or the failure of the American to stop something they still have not understood?
Is the number a pretextual number created to explain away something else which ails the President: His reckless leadership, and stupid decision to leave Afghanistan with a few thousand troops, and recklessly invade Iraq without an imminent threat?
If it was "inevitable" why did they invade Iraq first, and not contain the real problem in Afghanistan:
This is more DoD military analyst spin, more of the "We always knew this"-argument; but not matched by a plan. They "knew" enough about things before 9-11 to have a plan in the patriot Act; but despite real evidence, they have no plan for victory, just more excuses. "Inevitable" results should have had a plan; without a plan, we know the statement today is merely spin. They're surprised; or they're lying; most likely both, as a distraction from the President's failed planning.
Congress? The basis to impeach includes malfeasance.
This should read, "why did they invade Iraq at all, and not contain the problem in Afghanista first."
Anonymous @ 46:
If Bush captures OBL who'll make McCain's election videos?
Anonymous @ 47:
Why invade Iraq first......?
Duh....because there's no oil in Afghan and Paki -stans......!
"So the war in Iraq created an opportunity for al Qaeda to recruit more terrorists and, at the same time, made it harder to go after al Qaeda terrorists."
Exactly. I believe that was the plan all along. Bin Laden is the official terrorist poster-boy of the Bush Administration at the behest of the true masters of this country. That's why he has never been 'caught'. Bin Laden and his minions are probably on some secret CIA payroll. After all, how can you justify the flagrant waste of blood and treasure and the blatant disregard for the Rule of Law and the Constitution if you don't have a bogeyman to scare everyone with? If he is 'caught', it wouldn't surprise if it happened during the last few weeks or days of the WarPigs rule in order to provide some sort of honorable legacy. I think the new and improved bogeyman is supposed to be Iran.
The title of this post would seem to imply that Junior had a plan, and we know that was never the case.
I was under the impression that Al Qaeda is actually the CIA, so I don't get the point of the story. I don't for a second believe there is some "evil" group of terrorists out there hatin' ya for your freedumbs. I think that is all a bunch of Republican horse manure.
It is SO OBVIOUS to me that the FIX was in from the very beginning to protect Bin Laden after 9/11... and that fix would continue for as long as Bush remained in office.
Their FAMILIES are doing business together all over the world thru the Carlysle Group.
Our government helped the WHOLE BIN LADED FAMILY escape from the United States after 9/11 with out so much as an interview by the FBI opr CIA.
Bush admitted YEARS AGO that he doesn't even think about Bin Laden any more. WHY SHOULD HE? He only ENGINEERED THE MURDER OF 3000 INNOCENT CITIZENS. But it's just not worth the BRAIN ENERGY to think about him any more.
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