Who doesn't want to see Osama caught because it will give Bush a win ?

[kentuck]

in November? Are you comfortable with that decision? You must get up and hope each day that the guy that bombed our country isn't caught today? Do you not see any other way to make this a negative for Bush and a positive for our country?? I cannot understand this type of limited thinking.

[geek tragedy]

1. Well, I think Osama's dead already--but only a few people know it.

So no worry.

[Commendatori]

2. Let him be caught the day after the elections

Catching him today or just before the election won't make a difference if al-Qaeda has plans in place to attack, so let him get caught the day after Jeb fails to deliver Florida.

[Dickie Flatt]

3. my thoughts

Osama needs to be caught, and it doesn't matter when. But I don't think it will help Bush too much. Remember when we caught Saddam? After the administration had been pumping up his status as America's #1 Enemy? Yeah, Bush got a small approval bump that disappeared in two weeks.

Besides, everyone knows capturing Osama doesn't matter, that's what Bush said: "I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him."

[tom_paine]

7. Welcome to DU, Dickie Flatt!

:toast:

How's that imaginary job at and imaginary university and your imaginary pal, Dick Armey!

:hi:

[Ladyhawk]

22. Hello Dickie Flatt

You quoted Bush: "Besides, everyone knows capturing Osama doesn't matter, that's what Bush said: 'I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him.'"

Remember, the neocons can change truth to suit them. If they suddenly start focusing on bin Laden and the news media wets themselves to get out the word about "terra" attacks in preparation for Osama's "capture," this quote will be conveniently forgotten.

[Union Thug]

4. I don't think it would push chimpy over the victory line...

I think he's too far gone.

[pbg]

5. I want him caught

but he'll blow himself to paradise rather than let himself be paraded as a trophy.

His religious fanaticism is sincere.

[Lerkfish]

25. actually, I don't think Osama is motivated by religous fanatacism....

..to where he'd blow himself up. I think he USES the religious fanatacism in others to achieve his political agenda.


Hmmm... I just realized I could say the same about Bush. :)


at any rate, to the original question: I think Osama should have been caught a year ago. If he's trotted out now or anytime, that makes me happy, but if he's trotted out in such a way that its obvious BushCo is trying to maximize the political advantage, I will hate the decision to maximize the advantage but still be glad he's caught.

However, my two cents is that since Bush says he's not important and is not interested in catching him, makes me wonder if they aren't in cahoots to further the agenda of both.

[LittleApple81]

6. Osama is now a small fish in the pond. He was important when * let him

escape from Tora Bora. So I don't mind if he is not caught now, especially because * will use that not to demonstrate their ineptitute (3 years! to capture) but to say they are excellent in protecting the country.

[jobycom]

8. If they catch Usama, i'll lift a glass to Bush on that day only

Won't make me vote for him, needless to say. Won't sway anyone else, either.

I hear you, Kentuck. SOme people get carried away with their rhetoric, maybe even their priorities. If Kerry's chance of winning is so fragile that we have to hope the greatest mass murderer in our history stays alive and free to try it again, then he won't win, anyway.

[DaveFL99]

9. No Comment

[LiberalPersona]

10. I don't really care if he's caught

It will not stop terrorism, and he will be a martyr.
It will be like cheering for a single small victory in a perpetual war that has no visible end in sight.

[sendero]

11. It won't...

... so I don't really care either way. This is simply another rabbit they intend to pull out of a hat that will turn into a ball of dust.

[Hobarticus]

12. I want him caught, and I want America to wonder, "why not sooner?'

Anything close to the election will look like it was staged and/or delayed for political reasons.

[mzmolly]

13. NOBODY feels this way. Though, I'd rather we spent the $$ we spent on

Iraq, on catching Osama myself.

I don't think his capture has to result in a Bush win though? Kerry should start preparing now for this, if he hasn't already. They need to have a strategy for dealing with it if it does happen.

My husband said that a friend who's cousin is in the military (getting convoluted already I know) ;) said that they have had Osama surrounded for months. They are simply waiting until the proper political gain can be had before bringing him out of a proverbial fox hole? :(

[klook]

14. Wanted: Dead or Alive

From ABC News, Sept. 17, 2001:

President Bush Monday repeated his vow to track down Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in last week's terror attacks while Wall Street reopened to its biggest point drop ever.

"I want justice," Bush said. "And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'"

From The Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State Univ.), April 28, 2003 - by Jeff Postelwait:

"Dead or alive," said the president. We were promised Osama bin Laden's head on a platter. On Sept. 13, 2001, President Bush said this to a grieving and shocked nation, "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." But then his focus shifted and there was a new public enemy number one: Saddam Hussein. Eighteen months later to the day, President Bush said this of bin Laden, "I don't know where he is and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

Maybe Bush forgot to tell the FBI, because bin Laden is still on their Ten Most Wanted list.

I happen to believe that the Sept. 17 verdict should still apply. Maybe nabbing bin Laden shouldn't be the Number 1 priority, but it should be a very high priority. And I'll join most Americans in celebrating if the murderous former U.S. ally is caught or killed, no matter when it happens.

But if the entire al-Qaeda network is caught between now and November 2, it will not make me vote for Bush. There are too many other reasons to oppose him.

[madrchsod]

15. osama is just a shadow

there is alot more to the organization than him. who knows what is going to happen now since the bush gang -OUTED ANOTHER SPY- this time it was a pakistan double agent working to get osama`s merry band ..oh i forgot-the buffalo arrests..how much money is bush going to give to the military in pakistan to smooth this lastest bullshit ...

[Feanorcurufinwe]

16. Nobody wants that and it wouldn't give Bush a win anyway.

Or are you saying you want it?

What an absolutely moronic thread. Come on, you can do better than this.

[kentuck]

24. Nobody? I have read comments that suggest otherwise.

Personally, I want to see him caught. If we're afraid it may hurt us politically, I think that is a pretty weak comment in itself. Moronic? Perhaps? :)

[Feanorcurufinwe]

31. I suppose there are people who want nuclear holocaust.

However, that won't stop me from saying in the future "Nobody wants a nuclear holocaust."

Normally, I am obsessed with precision, but I think in these cases the sloppier rhetoric is more reflective of the real world.


BTW, could you point me to the comments you are taking about? Thank you.

[kentuck]

32. But DUers have not said they want a 'nuclear holocaust'

They have said they would prefer Osama was captured after November 2nd. Your analogy is not accurate.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

33. But did they say what you say they did? Link please.

I don't know whether what you are saying is true or not. Please document your assertion.

[ramblin_dave]

34. Do you have examples of your claim?

If not, then your claim is just a "some people say" claim as used by Fox News.

And it would take more than one or two examples. A few people do not equal DU. I read DU a lot and I have never read a post where someone says they hope Osama isn't caught before the election. If someone were to post that I would first suspect the poster was a provocateur. So you need to show several examples along with comments in support to make me believe your claim.

[kentuck]

37. Here's an example...I'm sure there are more...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2189110#2189270

[ramblin_dave]

39. Proves nothing

One guy, or two or three or ten proves nothing, especially if there's no one agreeing with such comments.

[madrchsod]

17. one thousand and fifty eight days

since george said------ DEAD OR ALIVE ---------

[fa210]

18. If you can get him

get him. Politics aside, it's the N° 1 bandit to get. It won't change a lot of things, but get him.

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

19. I think he's been dead since December 2001.

They'll prove it with DNA or whatever oh, round about Halloween.

[UdoKier]

20. I'd love for him to get caught.

But it will not be enough to elect Dumbya.

Dumbya will not be the one to catch him, and it will not be enough to distract from his overall corruption and incompetence.

I actually seldom think about Osama. Al Qaeda is not a formal group with Bin Laden as the leader. He is a major player with a lot of money, but if he were caught, "Al Qaeda" would continue unabated. They are a semi-organized group of cells with various different agendas all operating under a vague "jihad" premise.

Americans tend to still think in WW2 and Cold War terms, equating "terror" with communism, when miscellaneous viloent crimes would be a better comparison, since "terror" is not a regime to be toppled. We equate Osama and Saddam with Hitler, when one was more of a banana republic dictator and the other is more of an evil prankster, popping up every now and then with deadly consequences.

[klook]

26. Your last paragraph is an excellent summary

Thanks for the succinct analysis.

[Karenina]

21. I've yet to see any credible evidence

that "Osama" was responsible. :eyes:

[Zynx]

23. I hope he is caught today, but it won't matter much.

[Ducks In A Row]

27. I hope Osama is "captured"

because no one will believe it. The public will realize it is all a sham, and that our soliders are dead for nothing

it will be the final straw and bush will fall flat on his face

[enki23]

28. osama should have been captured years ago

osama is, apparently, not important to the bush administration. they said as much for the majority of the last four years. they said it out loud. bush said it in a speech.

[noonwitch]

29. I want to see him caught or dead-I don't care who gets credit

I really would like to see him brought in alive and face a public trial for his crimes-it is important to show the arab world how justice in a democracy works. Show a fair trial, with lawyers and a good judge that doesn't let it become a circus inside the courtroom, and they can see that our justice doesn't mean reading a statement alleging guilt followed by immediate beheading.

[napi21]

30. I want him caught today or tomorrow! Just not a few days before

the election. If it happened prior to the election by enough time, I don't think it would matter one way or the other. The only think we should be worried aobut is that "kneejerk reaction" that happens all the time to almost everything! Given enough time to stop and think, his capture won't matter.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

35. Long since dead.

[Bluzmann57]

36. I want him caught and caught now

He engineered the worst disaster on American soil in history and I really don't think politics should play any part in this. He is a bad man who needs to be taken out of circulation. However, his capture would almost certainly unleash a holy war against America the likes of which have never been seen and that would almost certainly help bush's chances for election(I refuse to say re-election) because when the fight is as fierce as I think this one could be, it usually helps the incumbent. Just my opinion, I may be wrong, it's happened many many times before. On edit-I gotta learn how to type.

[Generator]

38. Osama is not the problem

1) I think he's already dead.

2) I think that if he's not, us making a huge drama out of capturing and killing the great Osama will only make him a bigger martyr to those that follow him, and increase terrorism at least in the short run

3) I don't think he's the biggest problem we face

4) YES, Bush is more a threat to my life than Osama Bin Laden

So I hope that # 1 is true.

What are we going to do to discourage those from becoming terrorists in the first place, and stop the spread of death worshiping fundamentalists?

That's the real question in my mind. It's has no easy answer such as the very simplistic (isn't this the R Wingers solution) killing just one man.

[Warren DeMontague]

40. I Hope He's Caught, and he's still got his pay stubs...

from the CIA.