Eight Long Years: Where Is Osama Bin Laden?

Israel isn't important. Why our government supports them is beyond me? The cynical part of me says Jewish votes. I'm no expert? I have no opinion on the matter. I'd rather be tighter with Egypt and Turkey. They probably already have nukes too.



I think we will find out in the next few years that Israel is extremely important. And I suspect that a good many things are "beyond you." Unfortunately, you still bloviate about them, and at length.

How much oil is in Afganistan ? If we only cared for oil , why haven't we stopped supporting Isreal , if we let the Islamic countries in that region destroy Isreal we would have $ 10 barrels of oil . So by your account , even if AL Qaeda / Bin Laden run terror camps out of New Zealand , Bush would have set our troops to Afgan'st ? We were in Iraq / Kuwait in 1991 , how much oil have we taken in almost 20 years ? I'm not saying oil , like any commodity does not have an effect on policy , but in this case I think thats a stretch . After 9-11 , are you suggesting we should have done nothing , thinking they would not try a more deadly attack , just asking ?

We can't just care about the oil countries. The entire region has to be minded for the sake o our oil. Don't confuse me with a peacenik no more war or oil type. I am simply pointing out the obvious. We do next to nothing in Africa when tribal wars erupt and millions die...they have no oil. The middle east though of course does and we're constantly embattled there now.

Afghanistan has no significant oil, or any natural resources other than smack, and our presence over there is not related to procuring oil or anything else. Had they not attacked us on 9/11 we would not have invaded (as opposed to Iraq, the plans for the occupation of which go back to the Clinton administration). Although FRPLG is partly right when he says that we made a commitment to staying there upon the firing of the first shot. That is not necessarily true, but if we are to see the mission through to its conclusion - which at this point I understand to be the emergence of a stable functioning democracy - it will take several years (decades even) and several hundred thousand more troops. Indeed, current counterinsurgency theory suggests that 1 soldier is needed for every 50 civilians in order to successfully pacify a population, which would put our troop requirement there at well north of 500 thousand. Given that the political will doesn’t exist for that kind of commitment, a much more protracted, and probably ineffective American presence there is likely.

But let's talk about what this war is really about. It's certainly not about oil. We'd get about as much oil invading the Bahamas, and I don't buy the leftist conspiracy theories that the war is about protecting pipelines either. That makes no sense. You don't spend billions and billions in resources to preserve what amounts to a drop in the bucket of the global oil supply. But it's not about Bin Laden either, who as 12th pointed out, probably isn't even in the country any more, and at this point is nothing more than a figurehead within Al Qaeda.

It's about that nuclear armed behemoth to the south, whose crippled government is hanging by a thread with an internal insurgency miles from the capital and ready to step on its throat. Were Afghanistan to destabilize, or were its radical Islamist forces left without anyone to fight, they would be sure to further destabilize Pakistan in turn. We can't have this. Moreover, by building a permanent American military presence over there, as we are currently doing, we give ourselves access to Pakistan should things take a turn for the worse.

I have to believe everything else is peripheral at this point. So in answer to the question, who cares. Killing Obama would be a huge story in America's dumbed down sound bite culture, but it wouldn't amount to a damn thing.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and having control of those lines (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3562/3292775161_fab90b095b.jpg). Don't be fooled, Afghanistan is a major player in oil and gas transport (http://web.archive.org/web/20021210163358/http://www.house.gov/international_relations/105th/ap/wsap212982.htm).

I think we will find out in the next few years that Israel is extremely important. And I suspect that a good many things are "beyond you." Unfortunately, you still bloviate about them, and at length.

Please enlighten me what is so important about Isreal? Bloviate? Perhaps you would be so good as to offer counter points?

I think we will find out in the next few years that Israel is extremely important. And I suspect that a good many things are "beyond you." Unfortunately, you still bloviate about them, and at length.

Lord knows I'm no fan of TTL but on this one his take is more rational than yours. Don't hold your breath, the rapture won't be coming any time soon.

We can't just care about the oil countries. The entire region has to be minded for the sake o our oil. Don't confuse me with a peacenik no more war or oil type. I am simply pointing out the obvious. We do next to nothing in Africa when tribal wars erupt and millions die...they have no oil. The middle east though of course does and we're constantly embattled there now.
I don't disagree with your points , nor would I judge you< as peacenik >, or anything else . As far as tribal wars in Africa , again you are correct , but I suspect if Sudan or Somalia were to be the stomping ground for Bin Laden we would have gone there ? Nice post ,,, have a good night .

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and having control of those lines (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3562/3292775161_fab90b095b.jpg). Don't be fooled, Afghanistan is a major player in oil and gas transport (http://web.archive.org/web/20021210163358/http://www.house.gov/international_relations/105th/ap/wsap212982.htm).

Thank you Saden. You may be arrogant but at least you're not stupid.

I don't disagree with your points , nor would I judge you< as peacenik >, or anything else . As far as tribal wars in Africa , again you are correct , but I suspect if Sudan or Somalia were to be the stomping ground for Bin Laden we would have gone there ? Nice post ,,, have a good night .

Don't forget Nigeria and Executive Outcomes.

Nice post DJ65 . Not sure about dumbed down culture . We all know that just killing one man is not the end of a war /movement or jihad . Truth is Bin laden is a recuiter , hero and god to many in the middle east , I do hope we kill him , and wouldn't lose sleep in we took Chavez , Akmandingleberryzahd < Iran > out in the middle of the night .