It would be great to mount OBL's head on a wall...but he's already dead. Benazir Bhutto said so before she was killed. She was more in the know than we and until somebody proves otherwise I believe her.

Bush let family friend Osama bin Laden get away. If we can't get Osama bin Laden, we can hunt down the people who financed and trained him: the Loyal Bushies.

Of course many of these loyal Bushies were trained by Nazi war criminals when the Prescott Profiteers promoted them into high positions in the intelligence community after the war. As a way of saying thank you, they made him Senator and his son CIA Director and then President and then they even helped AWOL George Junior to become president. These Christofascists and their trainees have killed far more people long after the war than all their Islamic proxies including Osama bin Laden combined, and their intelligence and organized crime networks remain far more dangerous than Osama bin Laden and the Winnebagos of Death combined.

Osama bin Laden thanked Bush by attacking the hated New York liberals. While the hijackers were plotting in Germany and Florida's 13th District (not Afghanistan), prominent Christofascists with Hitler-era intelligence networks spoke out hatefully against New York liberals.

Catching Osama Bin Laden who has a bounty of some 50 million plus dollars wouldn't seem to be that difficult--and he probably will be apprehended however the likelihood of a successor is almost certain. There has been so much time go by that their is little doubt that plans have been made for a successor. Fighting terrorism seems to be more about promoting a new policy of surveillance, espionage and unending war than promoting a solid domestic civil defense. Personally there is little doubt in my mind that an attack in the US could happen anytime, except no one really wants to carry a terrorist act out at the present time.

Mr. Arkin:

You are dead on, dead right and until Osama Bin Laden is dead or captured the West will not have "won" anything. We should have stayed focused on him from day 1 and never wavered.

Gee - should we try to 'nail' Bin Laden?

What does it say about our society, and the chaotic nature of our so-called leadership, that this can even be a question?

But then again, George Bush did say that he didn't think about Bin Laden any more.

His handlers later said he didn't mean it, but it is what he said.

The comparison to the 'war on drugs' is quite apt. Legislation over the last few years has not only made Food Not Bombs (anarcho-kids/college students feeds the indigent) and Reclaim The Streets (impromtu flashmob block parties... YES!)terrorist related organizations, but much of the legislation has INTENTIONALLY made the drug war terror related as well.

The connection in US government practice is through the Department of Homeland (in)Security, the worlds LARGEST police state slush fund.

Literally, Slush fund.
Literally, police state.

Thanks Osama GW LUVS U.

Yeah and if we can only catch Pablo Escobar the cocaine problem this will be solved. WAKE UP!

Osama bin Laden cannot be annihilated. He can be killed, of course - but he will live on in the minds of many to be The Martyr. He will have a huge second career as an icon, a myth, and example to emulate.

The USA have contributed to that. They have
singled him out,
exaggerated his power,
exaggerated the menace,
inflated his and his organisation's image,
glamorized him as a person.
And they continue to make propaganda for him and his nasty, but tiny and desperate gang.

I think killing him will make HIM stronger.
HIM and Jihadism.

He is on a win-win game despite all defeats. Partly thanks to Mr. Bush & team.

That's right, we've got to nail Osama. Lutfi. We've got to nail him, cut his head off, and mount his stuffed head on a mantelpiece in our collective den. Then I'll wear provocative lingerie-based costumes, and dance in front of his dead, stuffed head, while annoying over-produced pop music blares through overhead speakers. Don't forget, we've got to send Delta Force after Osama Lutfi, the real devil.

Obsolete legal structures?

Do tell?

Which ones DO YOU think are 'obsolete'?

Mr Arkin,

The termination of UBL is emotionally appealing, but tactically and strategically irrelevant to successful GWOT. The movement that he has ignited will long outlive him. Al Qaeda is a nodal enemy with no center of gravity... decapitation is therefore undefined.

Victory in the long war will require a systems approach involving all of our national capabilities: law enforcement, military preemption, intelligence, communications, international trade, education, economic development and correction of obsolete legal strictures. Our enemies can and must be: dissuaded, isolated and terminated.

The most important issue for the next president is how to fight terrorism. Bin Laden is its leader, and every day he survives, false hope and grand delusions fuel our enemies.

Mr. Arkin,

Are you sure? I believe that the most important issue for the next president is to internal. And I don't believe that UBL is the leader of world-wide terrorism.

Certainly he has been the poster child for terrorism. America even associated UBL with Saddam so that they could take over that country.

And America uses UBL in order to make the changes thats it wants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I said it from the onset, the USA did not want to capture UBL too soon. Had they done so, in the absence of his image as 'international enemy number one', the U.S. government could not have maintained the support of its allies.

The problem is bigger than UBL. The real problem that the next president needs to tackle is alive and well right here in the United States. I call it American foreign policy!

I agree. OBL is in Iraq and McCain says that he'll stay there for 100 years until he finds him. He should go now and start looking.

The sleight of hand that allowed Bush and the Republicans to divert attention and resources from OBL (in Afghanistan and Pakistan) to Iraq is still dumbfounding. And The (liberal??) Press let them get away with it.

Captain America:
"Now pay attention and I'll tell you how to catch him: BY GOING THROUGH HIS FAMILY, WHICH ONLY PRETENDED TO DISAVOW HIM! "

Two problems.

A) He's a mercenary, first and foremost. You could kill his whole family by slow torture on FauxTV and he'd only laugh because it would enrage the rest of the 'civil' muslim world.

B) If you go after his family, you'll be going after elements of the Carlysle Group, and George H.W. would prevent it if not other members of that financial Skull & Bones consortium.

Oh yeah, there's a third reason.

He couldn't be doing a better job of setting up the neocon... I mean 'fascists', fascists... (must remember... fascists NOT conservatives!)foreign policy subterfuge on which permanent wars are built even if he WAS still working for U.S. imperial interests.

We don't even have to pay him anymore.

Whatta deal!

Gee, thanks. I've only been railing about this for six-plus years now. First thing I think about every morning when I wake up. Amazing that the rest of you took this long to get a clue.

Now pay attention and I'll tell you how to catch him: BY GOING THROUGH HIS FAMILY, WHICH ONLY PRETENDED TO DISAVOW HIM! Hopefully it doesn't take you another six years to figure this one out.

An interesting comment Mr. Arkin. I wonder though if it is too late to "kill" Bin Laden. Of course seeing him hang would be satisfying but since both the Bush & Clinton administrations dropped the ball by not killing him when there were opportunities I would consider how we best proceed. First of all we need to look at the fact that for many in his part of the world Bin Laden is a hero. Whether he dies on the battle field or is tried & convicted in a court of law he will still be a hero to many . He will also continue to inspire even if he is dead. The sad fact is that Bin Laden has been successful in galvanizing his view of Islam and how it should relate to the West.
So one asks how do we proceed in achieving justice? At what point does justice turn into revenge? One of the problems with the Bush method is that few if any thought what woud happen after actions were taken. There is a need to think carefully of how the Islamic world will react to the capture and death of Bin Laden. Bin Laden offers to many in his part of the world an alternative to their despair and sense of hopelessness. Unfortunately it is a negative approach. We need to emphasize to those who find his message appealing that killing people in the name of God is wrong .People find comfort in myths both negative & positive and Bin Laden has spread may negative myths.
We should proceed on two levels. One level would the eradication of Al Queda and another track develop alternatives to Bin Laden's message. I realize that this will be very difficult because of the Bush Mid east policy & the war in Iraq. Unless we start to offer alternatives to Bin Laden his message will continue to live on even if he gone. We need to work with other nations because the United States can not afford to foot the entire bill. Also this situation has an impact not only on the United States but the entire global community.
Placing Bin Laden on trial will do us no good. Our justice system has evolved to where one is held accountable for ones actions. If we were to place Bin Laden on trial either in a civilian or military court it would not be seen as justice but as revenge in his part of the world. Look what happened with Saddam. We imposed our system of justice upon a country that was not prepared for it and when Saddam was finally hung he ended up becoming a martyr. The idea of Saddam on trial was a good one but the way it was handled was quite inept.The best course of action would be to have Bin Laden die in a battle. It would be best because either by trial and the death penalty or in a battle he will be a martyr to his cause. If he was die in battle it would a clean kill. He would be gone for good and that would be a form of justice in its own way. Whether Bin Laden goes by the hangman's noose or in a battle we will need to be on the highest level of security. Considering that the Bush administration has neglected homeland security are we ready for this ? We are dealing with a situation that is very different than Germany in 1945. Germany was a nation that had elected a dictator. Germany had the structure of a state corrupted by weakened leadership and the loss of national pride in World War 1. Bin Laden represents tribalism at its worst. Unfortunately many in Washington seem to conflate these two historical events.
It is also unfortunate that the Bush administration blew the chance to make the event of 9/11 a world problem. He thought that he did this but he has poisoned the well with a belligerent unilateral foreign policy. Using a black & white approach to a multi-level problem helps to create a bigger problem . Of course any action taken after 9/11 would have resulted in some blow-back. The cowboy diplomacy that has been practiced by the Bush administration has opened up a lot of fissures and unleashed a lot of negative forces.If we had leadership that thought before they acted the situation would not have evolved to the point is at today. It is very important therefore to think before acting. Bin Laden's interpretation of Islam is very dangerous because it based on absolutes. In my opinion he does not want Islam to co-exist with other religions. Many of the wars in Europe were based on religions fighting for dominance. It took centuries & a lot of blood to achieve a social framework where people of different faiths could live side by side w/o ripping each others throats out. Bin Laden wants to return to the 7th century and like all fanatics he will destroy those he professes to care about.. Bin Laden's message has spread throughout the Mid East, North Africa & Europe. Everything is tied together, the situation in Pakistan, our presence in Iraq, the continuing domination of Lebanon by Hezbollah, the ongoing struggle between Israel & the Palestinians are just some of what is connected to each other. There is a need to proceed with careful & deliberate diligence. If our government learns just one thing regarding Iraq it is - as you sow so shall you reap. We can no longer afford to blunderbuss our way into a situation and expect that there will no fallout. This type of attitude squanders opportunities both at home and overseas plus it bankrupts our treasury for generations to come. Inflating a fanatic's ego by way of an inept foreign policy is going to haunt us for decades.

not to be too conspiracy minded, but shouldn't the Times article been titled, "We Need to Nail Bin Laden" instead of Osama. maybe because it sounds close to Obama. Just a thought

Fighting terrorism means bringing down the U.S. government's business-as--usual corporatism and all of the military-industrial-political strings attached.

Including long-standing military/monetary/political relations with the terrorists we claim to be fighting.

Thomas Jefferson was right. A revolution every twenty years keeps the guts of our government running smoothly...

Might even give our legislators a backbone (or a "fear of 'god'").

[February 27 2008] Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: What If They Gave A War And The Soldiers Didn't Show Up? Observing The U.S. Senate's Total Disinvolvement With The Legislative Aspects Ot The War In Iraq

My site: http://leighm.net/wp/2008/02/27/tth_080227/

Or Archive.org: http://www.archive.org/details/tth_080227

Why members of Congress have not been demanding bringing OBL to justice everyday since 9-11 astounds me. And the Democratic leadership? the case against Iraq War? The Demand for Justice in this case can meet with no reasonable response. Unfathomable.

William,
I couldn't agree with you more. Killing,or better yet capturing & putting him on trial and then executing him would do more to help end AlQaeda and discourage those who look up to this evil.
It is a goal that the American people would eagerly rally around and support.

I would like to draw your attention on a similar article

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=522121

The Failure in the War on Terror
It's not Osama but Musharraf
Published On Monday, February 25, 2008 10:44 PM
By SAMAD KHURRAM

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The former head of the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence's (ISI) political cell recently confessed that he was responsible for political manipulation in Pakistan's 2002 elections that led to Islamists coming to power in two provinces and gaining 59 seats in the National Assembly. This fraud was the work of the America's supposedly unfaltering ally in the War on Terror, General (ret.) Pervez Musharraf and his desire to paint an image of Pakistan as an extremely dangerous, unstable country ready to fall into the hands of extremists the moment he leaves.

Musharraf pretends that he is the only hope for the US in Pakistan. Closer analysis, however, suggests that his claims are far from true. In the 2008 elections--which were much freer and fairer than those of 2002--only 6 seats went to the Islamists. In addition, a secular party won the majority of seats from the North-West Frontier Province where the War on Terror is actually taking place. These results prove that the people of Pakistan are against religious fundamentalism, something the US has largely ignored. In 1999, Pakistan was a stable country with a moderate political party in power. There were no suicide bombings, no abductions by extremists, and people were free to move about without security personnel. By 2007, Pakistan was among the world's most dangerous places. This transformation is the result of Musharraf's long, incompetent rule.

There are many other pieces of evidence to support that Musharraf is not committed to fighting terrorism now, or if he ever was. Musharraf's own speeches and words, such as, "[I am] not going around trying to locate Osama bin Laden and Zawahri, frankly" are the biggest confirmation of his indifference. In addition, Washington has been shocked by news reports that the majority of the funds given to Pakistan are not used for the War on Terror. This news is corroborated by widely available pictures of troops in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas moving around in traditional 'chappals' (open foot shoes) and poor equipment. If even a small portion of the U.S. aid were spent on weapons upgrades, bullet proof jackets, reconnaissance devices and training, the results would have been much better. The Pakistan Army would have performed better: more terrorists caught, fewer casualties and more leads to Osama bin Laden.

Over the past eight years, Pakistan has received $11 billion from the U.S. in direct aid for fighting terrorism, billions from other countries for curbing extremism and development projects, and access to secret intelligence. In response to this, Musharraf has been repeatedly diverting funds in efforts to retain his support within the army, upgrade weapons to be used against India, or pay his supporters and crackdown on political opponents. His long, highly extravagant foreign tours to publicize his book or beg for more aid are hardly helpful in fighting terrorism.

Musharraf's political ambitions have led to many serious lapses and failures in the War on Terror: Rashid Rauf, a high profile terrorist involved in a failed attempt to blow up transatlantic planes, escaped from Pakistani police custody. Militants have been capturing forts and have intercepted NATO's supplies. A radical mosque built up a brigade of terrorists adjacent to the Pakistan Intelligence's building in Islamabad, the capital. The intelligence agencies are not to be blamed; they have more important tasks to do--update files on and blackmail political opponents of Musharraf.

Last November, on the pretext of fighting terrorism a "state of emergency" was declared in Pakistan, and resulted in a country-wide crackdown on the judiciary, media, human rights activists, and anyone who could possibly oppose Musharraf. This was followed by the release of 25 high profile terrorists including former Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Obaidullah, who has close ties to Osama bin Laden and is the highest-ranking Taliban official ever captured. With Musharraf releasing arrested Taliban figures, U.S. taxpayers can be assured the $11 billion pumped into Musharraf's regime has gone to waste.

Musharraf is a major liability in the War on Terror, yet the Bush Administration fails to see this and continues to provide him unfaltering support. However, Musharraf does not have any support in Pakistan, as evidenced by the strong anti-Musharraf vote in the Feb. 18 elections. If the U.S. continues to support Musharraf it will further alienate the people of Pakistan from the War on Terror and augment anti-U.S. sentiments. When the U.S, backed a highly unpopular dictator in Iran, it back-fired resulting in an extremist Islamic revolution. The world cannot afford a nuclear power like Pakistan to turn into another Iran. The U.S. must use all its capabilities to return Pakistan to the rule of law and to have the Supreme Court judges deposed by Musharraf restored. Musharraf must be tried for his crimes in the War on Terror as well as his crimes against the people of Pakistan by the real Supreme Court of Pakistan. This will send a clear message to the next government that it cannot take the war on terror lightly and that the U.S. will not allow itself to be manipulated by Pakistani leaders.

Samad Khurram '09-'10, a government concentrator in Winthrop House, is an active member of the resistance movement against Musharraf. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.