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As President Obama prepares to escalate the war in Afghanistan, staff members for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared a report at the request of the chairman, Sen. John Kerry.
According to MSNBC, the report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops. On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area, where he is still believed to be based." The only assertion in the report that has ever been replicated in the media and other intelligence reports is that Osama bin Laden was cornered at Tora Bora in Dec. 2001. The rest is speculation.
The report, however, seems to overlook the fact that bin Laden was suffering from diabetes, Hepatitis C, and an "untreated lung complication" and would have had to have "walked unmolested" out of the rugged mountains of Afghanistan under the surveillance of "thousands" of special operations troops with at least one kidney dialysis machine in tow. The report also does not mention that electricity to power dialysis machines may be difficult to generate on the move through the mountains of Afghanistan.
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CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta stated in Jan. 2002: "The sort of frosting of the appearance is something that people a lot of times associate with chronic kidney failure, renal failure, certainly someone who is requiring dialysis would have that."
Gen. Peter Bergen concurred on CNN on Feb. 1, 2002 that in bin Laden's Dec. 27, 2001 video, "he's barely moving the left side of his body. So he's clearly got diabetes. He has low blood pressure. He's got a wound in his foot. He's apparently got dialysis ... for kidney problems. I mean, this is a man who has a number of health problems, apart from the fact that anybody running around the Afghan mountains is not going to be in great shape." Other reports claimed bin Laden was wounded by shrapnel in his left hand and arm at Tora Bora in 2001 as well.
The latest report also ignores numerous reports in both mainstream U.S. media and international media that bin Laden is probably dead. In Jan. 2002, Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Mushharraf said in an interview with CNN, "I think now, frankly, he is dead for the reason he is a ... kidney patient." The BBC reported on July 18, 2002 that the FBI's counter-terrorism chief, Dale Watson, says he thinks Osama bin Laden is "probably" dead. Afghan president Harmad Karzai concurred when he said on CNN's Late Edition on Oct. 8, 2002, "I would come to believe that [bin Laden] probably is dead." Before Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, she also said bin Laden is dead. Janes reported in Dec. 2002 that "bin Laden was never on the annual list of Islamist extremists issued by the espionage and security services" of Israel.
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After two years of mysterious silence, bin Laden resurfaced in a video released just before the 2004 presidential elections in the U.S. As you can see from the photo, he looked healthier, well-fed and appears to have a completely differently shaped nose. Note the shape of the cheeks and width of the nose. His supposedly wounded hand appears to have miraculously regained mobility.
As of late, Osama bin Laden has allegedly escaped into eastern regions of Pakistan, continuing to "hate our freedoms" and plotting terrorist acts against the U.S., thereby justifying a massive troop surge in Afghanistan at a cost of $1 million a year per soldier deployed.
If the rumors are correct and the President plans on adding 34,000 troops into the war, then that amounts to another $34 billion per year in addition to the $512.7 billion in the defense appropriations act that the President signed in to law on September 30th and the $65.9 billion that Congress has already approved to cover the costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for FY 2009. And that is not even mentioning the body bags that will inevitably arrive at Dover.
With our economy in shambles, our deficit and national debt skyrocketing, our infrastructure crumbling and our military stretched to the limits, Americans must ask themselves: Is this one man really worth it? Especially considering the real possibility that he may already be dead? Or is it possible that the U.S. government, with the help of the mainstream media, is scaring the American people into prolonging a war that can only have one outcome - exiting Afghanistan?
One thing is certain, if Osama bin Laden's intent was to destroy this nation, he did a nice job of it - thanks to shortsighted leaders in this country that failed, and continue to fail to see the long term implications of a perpetual war chasing what may amount to be nothing more than a long-dead boogeyman.
Comments
It's true -- Bush Junior fulfilled every demand on bin Laden's list and played right into his hands by making us a hated invasion force in the Middle East, ending up by emulating all of the worst evils of Saddam, the very reason neocons used to remove him -- he was an evil dictator who tortured and killed his own people. We became the new boss, just like the old boss, only worse -- under Saddam the Iraqis at least had more reliable electrical power & clean water flowing through standing buildings. They also had museums & educational institutions unmolested by smart bombs and looters.
Some Americans say they can't understand why the Iraqs hate us & fight us. Imagine if the Iraqi Army invaded the US & trashed Washington, stealing our national treasures, kicking in doors without a warrant, allowing mercenaries to attack us, & torturing & killing Americans. How would they feel toward the Iraqis in that case? Grateful?
BTW, good story, Greg.
You say the Iraqis hate the United States What do you base this on? Have you been over there? Why do you ignore the schools that were built, the wells that were dug, Medical sevices provide to Iraqi people that never had them before? As far as stealing National treasures that was done by Iraqis not any U.S. Soldiers. The only people who had reliable electical power were those who Sadam considered his friends. Take some time to really find out what is going on and what went on before you start blaming all bad things in the world on the U.S.
This is a terrible article. You will forever go down as a weak naysayer who trembled at adversity for the rest of your life. You automatically insinuate that the reason for the recession is the war on terror (coined by Clinton), which is obviously your own little deus ex machina for your political beliefs. But is it worth it? Of course it is. Obviously, you didn't lose everything in 9/11, in fact I'd go as far to say as all you lost is your morning coffee.
Obviously, the writer did his homework! I tend also to agree with the posting by 'RS JAMES'.Now, my thoughts -- With respect to Osama bin Laden, it really makes no difference IF he's dead or alive now. The fact of the matter is that 'the plan' was executed by him and from that more were galvanized as a result of our having a President who continued to play into 'the plan'. IMHO, my hope now is that all of our troops in that region can COME HOME and that we stop sending more into regions where we 'think' we are welcomed, able to change things, etc.
SSG and Trashman,
Since you are both such a couple of smart guys that know everything and are so worldly due to your overseas travel experiences, please explain to me the following:
1. What our black and white, attainable military objectives are in Iraq and Afghanistan that, upon completion, can result in the removal of our military forces from the region?
2. What the strategies and tactics of the GWOT are and how they will result in less Islamic (or anti-US) extremism throughout the world (that includes the many countries outside Iraq and Afghanistan that can be potential breeding grounds for what we call terrorism)?
3. How those military objectives relate to our overall strategies and tactics in the GWOT?
4. To SSG, please give me some hard facts as to how better the life in Iraq is now compared to before? Generalizations and vague info does not cut it.
5. To Trashman, please explain to me what you think the cause of the recession is and how these wars relate to 9/11?
You damn right-wingers are all the same...you go around flapping your gums with the same old, boring, worn-out Republican talking points and generalizations...and then, when someone finally asks you to explain yourselves logically by asking some real questions about the crap you earlier spewed, you go back and crawl into your ratholes. It shows that it is impossible to talk to conservatives these days using logic and common sense, because modern day conservative views defy logic and common sense.
The world is full of lies and deceit. Newspapers print them and bring them to life. Meanwhile, the people perpetuating the lies rake in the cash. This is the way the world works.
bin larden sucks, he shud be found and killed
Cooluy,
You need to retake the course 'Spelling for 1st Graders'. What the hell is that you typed? Here is something for you in your language: "Bin Larden shud b 4gotten cuzz he is ded awready. Get ur hed out yer ess."
Bin Laden is dead! Bothe sides need him to be alive for different reasons.
Al Quada need ObL to be alive so they can still have access to his money.
USA need him to be alive to continue to eradicate Al Quada.
SO SIMPLE!
Correction to emenot's post:
USA need him to be alive to continue to fight endless wars for corporate and military industrial complex profit, establishing new energy markets, and enforcing neo-conservative ideologies. Al Qaeda is a mythical enemy that has never existed in the state that our population was brainwashed into thinking it did. And OBL is just their key figure, their representative, the boogeyman who never dies and always has to be fought, just like the Al Qaeda myth. But he is dead, but that will never be disclosed by our corporate media.
SO SIMPLE? NOT REALLY.
Google Fake Bin Laden Video!!! Bin Laden has been dead of renal failure for years! That video that came out in Dec 2001 was declared a fraud by a Duke University professor of Islamic studies. The man in the video is NOT him! Notice how there are no more videos since that one? If he were alive wouldn't he still be sending out his message?? The audiotapes are faked too, ask the MIT professors who studied them, they are morphed together to appear real.
Go to FBI most wanted terrorist web site and find Bin Laden page. Notice how 9/11 is NOT EVEN MENTIONED as one of his crimes? Wonder why that is? Well a spokesperson from the FBI stated that they had NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE THAT OSAMA BIN LADEN WAS BEHIND THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11 2001.
bin laden is a smack head
i am fishy :/ !!!! proppper samon fanny
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