Did Bush/Cheney let Osama Bin Laden escape at Tora Bora in 2001 because they were afraid?

[Politics_Guy25]

I read up on Tora Bora 2001 recently and the whole thing just screams at me to be suspicious. Do you think that there is any chance that Bush ordered the Pentagon to let Bin Laden escape because he was terrified of what UBL would reveal in a trial? Perhaps UBL would reveal in excruciating depth the Bin Laden-Bush family ties or perhaps that elements of the US government knew that 9/11 was coming? The only argument against that is the miliitary could have just killed Bin Laden if they were afraid of a trial. However, maybe Bush didn't want the son of a friend of his father's to die?

This is way way tinfoil hat I understand but still the quesetion stands: Why did George W. Bush allow Osama Bin Laden to escape at Tora Bora in 2001, the only time that the US has come that close to capturing him?

[bluestateguy]

1. They wanted to save him up for 2004

That Friday before the election video tape was gold for Bush/Cheney

[Politics_Guy25]

2. Ah-that makes more sense

Forgot about that. TY.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Except that wasn't even remotely the real Osama in that tape

Better casting than the November 2001 fake "fat Osama" video for sure, but not quite good enough. Too short, for one thing.

If Osama was indeed in Tora Bora and was allowed to escape, then he probably died within a few months of that anyway. Benazir Bhutto said he was "murdered" and despite the spin from the apologists to the contrary, I don't believe she misspoke. Rather, that slip of the tongue probably cost her own life.

[knowbody0]

3. I am sure the truth would be too horrific -

most of us cannot wrap our minds around the thought processes of the gabillionair oil barrons of the planet. I always get the vision of georgie holding hands with the saudi guy walking through those beautiful purple flowers. there's just not enough tin foil

[Ardent15]

5. They never gave a shit about capturing bin Laden

Iraq was the priority, and they decided to let bin Laden off so that he would still be at large in 2004 come election time.

[DJ13]

6. He worked for the CIA, so they had no intention of catching him

I'll leave the conspiracy aspect of 9/11 out of this.

[Ardent15]

7. bin Laden himself didn't work for the CIA...

but a lot of bin Laden's friends in Afghanistan and the Taliban did.

Blowback's a bitch.

[DJ13]

8. His CIA name was "Tim Osman"

[BuyingThyme]

14. Bin Laden was/is an important CIA assert and has probably never worked for anybody else.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. OBL never would have made it to trial.

Take that any way you want.

[alsame]

10. They had to keep the

bogeyman out there to justify the endless wars which keep the profits rolling in.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

11. Big Brother needs an Immanuel Goldstein to pin it all on.

Bin Laden is nothing more than a construct- he's the action movie Uber-villian that lives in the shadows and always escapes our traps only to reappear stronger and healthier than before- and with fresh villiany for us to rail against and start a new war to defeat.

The problem is, he can never be defeated, only slowed down for a little while.

We're at war with Eurasia. We've ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia.

[Sinti]

17. +1 that so few see the slight of hand is dumbfounding to me n/t

[petersjo02]

12. They needed to have a boogey-man during their time in office.

Osama in jail wouldn't help them.

[Kablooie]

13. Bush and Bin Laden were best friends from way back. Bush is loyal to his friends.

[Ian David]

15. They let him escape for the same reason The Cylons allowed Col. Tyghe to "escape."

Yes, I know BSG is fiction.

But it's also social commentary, and the creators had OBL in mind when they wrote that into the script.

[lxlxlxl]

16. political gain...pure and simple...which should offend everyone...

ubl should be dead or in jail. its simple. why did they choose to keep him alive then, and why do we keep him alive now? I think there are two elements.

keeping him alive has two benefits 1) him and AQ are a honey pot for idiots...meaning you keep the organization alive and under your watch so you can watch their money and any new contacts they have with the rest of the idiot terrorist world. this is a better situation than destroying aq and then worrying about new threats that might pop up under the radar. control the enemy.

2) they have a political bogeyman that they can personally use on the campaign trail, and for doling out homeland security contracts, and the rest of the thinktank, media and political apparatus gets a simple bogeyman to focus on and continue to churn out nonsense about...

[Chulanowa]

18. Real easy, IMO

If they had killed or captured Bin Laden, popular support for the war in Afghanistan would have plummeted the very same day, as people go "Okay we got him, now let's go home." This happened with Iraq as soon as Saddam was captured. The war had been moderately popular, but the minute Saddam's cheetoh-eating ass was in hte papers, the war dropped like a rock.

Bushco needed to keep the war running to maximize profits for their contractors, military friends, and investors. OBL was not killed or captured because the war is more valuable than he is.

[SoCalDem]

19. Peobably not.. Bin Laden has had ample time & resources to reveal

anything he wanted to.

Cheney probably realized that if Bin Laden had been captured early-on, the push to go to Iraq would have been seen by the public, as a stupid idea..and unnecessary