My statements:
Do I sound flippant?
Yup, I do and let me tell you why.
First off, bin Laden is the leader, a figurehead, of a group of brutal murderers, but he isn't the ones shooting our troops, he isn't the one setting off road side bombs or car bombs that have been killing hundreds of innocent human beings in Iraq and he isn't the one who is personally planning unsuccessful attacks (example, the latest foiled plot in Germany).
bin Laden, IF alive, is an old, sick man that is being called a "leader". Why? Because after 9/11, he issued a statement claiming responsibility.
Make no mistake, al-Qaeda carried out a devastating attack against America on 9/11/01, but bin Laden wasn't on those planes that day.
Would it be a coup to capture or kill bin Laden? Hell yes.
Would it stop al-Qaeda and make the war on terror be over? NOPE.
If we capture him, he becomes a martyr for the "cause", or Jihad.
If we kill him, he becomes a martyr for the "cause", or Jihad.
If he stays on the run he stays a man who is hiding, maybe in cave somewhere. A coward. Nothing more than a figurehead.
Personally, although I would love to see him killed or captured, I rather we be killing the men that are killing our troops, that are killing innocent civilians in Iraq, that are killing innocents in Afghanistan and who are plotting to kill us here at home.
So after foiled plots, by people who pledge allegiance to bin Laden OR share his ideology, in London with the airlines back in August of 2006, the Denmark foiled plot last week, the German one the other day, the car bombs in the UK that failed, after showing the disorganization and utter incompetence, he is going to make a statement on 9/11/07.... BIG FREAKING DEAL.
Fred Thompson Statements:
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Republican Fred Thompson said Friday that terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is "more symbolism than anything else" as the presidential hopeful warned of possible greater al-Qaida threats within the United States.
As a new video surfaced from bin Laden days before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Thompson focused on the broader war on terrorism and the Iraq conflict. He argued that not only are the United States and Iraqi forces making progress in Iraq, but that public support for the war is increasing.
The new video of bin Laden is his first in three years. Thompson played down its release in talking to reporters on his second day of campaigning in Iowa.
"Bin Laden being in the mountains of Pakistan or Afghanistan is not as important as there are probably al-Qaida operatives inside the United States of America," Thompson said.
Bin Laden is considered the man behind the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The former Tennessee senator and actor argued that "bin Laden is more symbolism than anything else. I think it demonstrates to people once again that we're in a global war."
Thompson said the al-Qaida leader and the Iraq war must be seen as part of the larger war on terrorism.
"It's one that bin Laden and people like him are heading up and we need to catch him and we surely need to deal with him, but if he disappeared tomorrow we still have this problem. If Iraq disappeared tomorrow, we'd still have this problem," Thompson said.
Later in the day, and after Democrats had been critical of his earlier remarks, Thompson took a much tougher stance. "Apparently Osama bin Laden has crawled out of his cave long enough to send another video and he is getting a lot of attention," he said at a rally in Mason City. "He ought to be caught and killed."
Thompson maintained, however, that killing bin Laden would not end the terrorist threat.
Oh, I truly am liking this man more and more, every single day.
People can criticize those statements until the cows come home, but he is right, anyone that thinks that if we capture or kill bin Laden, miraculously, terrorists and al-Qaeda will stop committing acts of terror against us or our interests abroad and will stop plotting to kill us, is either ignorant, blind or simply willfully naive.
As Michael van der Galien states well:
To provide some context to what Thompson said: “Bin Laden and people like him are heading up and we need to catch him and we surely need to deal with him, but if he disappeared tomorrow we still have this problem. If Iraq disappeared tomorrow, we’d still have this problem.”
Ok - so this is what has become of the American political debate. I’m getting tired of this. Thompson is, of course, completely right. They can take his words out of context as much as they like, and bloggers and the MSM might help Thompson’s rivals out as much as they wish, but truth of the matter is that when Bin Laden dies, he’ll be replaced by someone else. Besides, Al Qaeda today consists out of independently operating cells, with little to no contact with the motherorganization.
Bin Laden is much like a symbol. He should be punished, he should be held accountable, or taken out, yes, but getting Bin Laden will not make the problem, nor Al Qaeda, go away.
Fred Thompson calls it like he sees it. He understands that this is a long war, declared upon us before George Bush was elected President and al-Qaeda will continue to plot against us and attack us at any given opportunity, whether bin Laden is leading them or acts as their "talking head" or not.
You tell em Fred!!!!!
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