Six days after the fateful 9/11 terror attacks, George Bush appeared focused on his target. CNN reported (emphasis mine):
Speaking with reporters after a Pentagon briefing on plans to call up reserve troops, Bush offered some of his most blunt language to date when he was asked if he wanted bin Laden dead.
"I want justice," Bush said. "And there's an old poster out West… I recall, that said, 'Wanted, Dead or Alive."
So we were told. The administration seemed determined in bringing the evildoers to justice. Colin Powell, then Secretary of State and referring to bin Laden, echoed similar sentiments:
"It's not enough to get one individual, although we'll start with that one individual."
And today, Mark Mazzetti at the New York Times, reports:
The Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday.The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the C.I.A. Counterterrorist Center, the officials said.
The decision is a milestone for the agency, which formed the unit before Osama bin Laden became a household name and bolstered its ranks after the Sept. 11 attacks, when President Bush pledged to bring Mr. bin Laden to justice "dead or alive."
Now the war on Terror, I presume, is in full swing and the primary objective, that is, the capture of the evil of all evils, Osama bin Laden, hasn't changed. The reality, however, tells a different story. The most wanted guardian of evil, who's purportedly on the run, continues to spread his message of hatred via video and audiotape with an alarming regularity.
This doesn't look like someone who is running for life. The agency officials provided assurance…
"The efforts to find Osama bin Laden are as strong as ever," said Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, a C.I.A. spokeswoman. "This is an agile agency, and the decision was made to ensure greater reach and focus."
…and also the reason why the unit has been dismantled:
The realignment reflects a view that Al Qaeda is no longer as hierarchical as it once was, intelligence officials said, and a growing concern about Qaeda-inspired groups that have begun carrying out attacks independent of Mr. bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Article comments
1 - DazeyMai
IMO....If Bush had allowed our troops to "finish" the war in Afghanistan, Osama would be in our hands today. But, he just couldn't wait to go after Saddam...so, the consequences are we are back to square one in Afghanistan, we still have not captured Osama, and we are in an endless war with Iraq, which I am afraid will exponentially lead to war with other Middle East countries. O.K., Bushbackers, sock it to me!
2 - Sean
The military is still gathering intelligence on OBL and is sitll looking for him. Given that the CIa has not gotten anything right in my lifetime, and I'm 40, I'm betting now that they are no longer on the case, Osama is as good as dead.
3 - Bliffle
Bush made a Big Mistake when he diverted the pursuit of OBL into an Iraq invasion. That can hardly be doubted. But why did he do it? Was it just his longstanding personal animus toward Saddam? Or was he unable or unwilling to face the problem of dealing with Pakistan and Musharaf? I think that Pakistan was a problem he simply lacked the tools to deal with. It was easier to attack Saddam.