Does anyone still doubt that George W. Bush never made capturing Osama bin Laden a priority in this "War on Terror"? If so, you can lay those doubts to rest.
ABC News:
The Pentagon has drafted a secret plan that would send U.S. special forces into the wild tribal regions of Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, but the White House has balked at giving the mission a green light, The New York Times reported today.
...
Although the special forces attack plan was devised six months ago, infighting among U.S. intelligence agencies and among White House offices have blocked it from being implemented, the Times reported.
Follow me below the fold for more.
The New York Times broke the original story today.
The new plan, outlined in a highly classified Pentagon order, was intended to eliminate some of those battles. And it was meant to pave a smoother path into the tribal areas for American commandos, who for years have bristled at what they see as Washington’s risk-averse attitude toward Special Operations missions inside Pakistan. They also argue that catching Mr. bin Laden will come only by capturing some of his senior lieutenants alive.
But more than six months later, the Special Operations forces are still waiting for the green light. The plan has been held up in Washington by the very disagreements it was meant to eliminate. A senior Defense Department official said there was "mounting frustration" in the Pentagon at the continued delay.
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.
Don't get me wrong - Pakistan's sovereignty must be respected. But for a President who promised after September 11 to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice, this waffling shows a continued failure to keep his eye on the ball. Bush should have made capturing Bin Laden a priority when American forces had him cornered in Afghanistan. Instead, the attacks of 9/11 were used to turn public opinion in favor of a war in Iraq against Saddam Hussein, a man who had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or the terrorist attacks.
For a party that calls itself the strongest option against terrorism, this Republican administration can't back up its talk with action.
UPDATE: Well, I just got back to find that this diary is on the rec. list (my first!). Thanks for all your comments. I think the important issue here is not whether or not we should conduct special ops missions across the Pakistani border, but instead why GOP strategists continue to call Democrats soft on terror when their own administration doesn't seem to care about the one man who did plan an attack on the United States.
UPDATE II: Slinkerwink has a good diary on the rec. list about the Obama campaign using the article to slam McCain's judgement on Iraq and terrorism. Check it out here.