Who Cares What Osama Wants?
Aren't we all a bit tired of people putting words into bin Laden's mouth? The NYTimes offers a guest Op-Ed today that lets us know what's on Osama's mind regarding Iraq. Basically it sounds like OBL (as he's called on the street) desparately wants us to leave Iraq so he can turn it into a terrorist haven. Or something like that. If you'll recall, OBL is also very concerned about the upcoming election. He's projecting ideas into the heads of Democrats in order to help the Republicans get elected. Just like in '04 when he campaigned for Kerry.
Ech. Enough. I don't really care what Osama wants. I don't care what he's reading. I don't care about whether he eats carbs. (I'd be slightly interested in his iPod playlist, tho.) Honestly, if there's no chance of catching this guy then let's just drop him out of our vocabulary.
But, Tuna? What if Osama is *thinking* about some puckish caper? Wouldn't you like to know what he's *thinking* then?
OK. I'll make one concession. If bin Laden is thinking to himself, "Wow, I can't wait until I get out of this cave and travel to see my technical advisor at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway located in Mountain View, Pakistan at 3:15 on November 18." Then I'll care. But other than that, I really don't care what he's thinking about. Even if it is a puckish caper.
I only care about what OBL is actively *doing*. That's why I could argue the converse of this NYTimes Op-Ed. If withdrawing our troops was The Right Thing To Do, then we should do it. Screw OBL and what he thinks. If we need to leave, redeploy, or stay the course; then we should do it (and do it for the right reasons).
And what if OBL stops *thinking* and decides to start *doing* something? Well, our tax dollars are paying for the most bloated Intelligence organizations in history. And when they report that OBL is going to do something, then we need leadership that will take action to prevent it. The leadership we have now can't face asymetrical threats from bin Laden or any other freak that sits around *thinking* all day long. It hardly matters what bin Laden is *thinking* when the Bush Admin is on vacation, playing politics, or reading Shakespeares and My Pet Goat.
Ech. Enough. I don't really care what Osama wants. I don't care what he's reading. I don't care about whether he eats carbs. (I'd be slightly interested in his iPod playlist, tho.) Honestly, if there's no chance of catching this guy then let's just drop him out of our vocabulary.
But, Tuna? What if Osama is *thinking* about some puckish caper? Wouldn't you like to know what he's *thinking* then?
OK. I'll make one concession. If bin Laden is thinking to himself, "Wow, I can't wait until I get out of this cave and travel to see my technical advisor at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway located in Mountain View, Pakistan at 3:15 on November 18." Then I'll care. But other than that, I really don't care what he's thinking about. Even if it is a puckish caper.
I only care about what OBL is actively *doing*. That's why I could argue the converse of this NYTimes Op-Ed. If withdrawing our troops was The Right Thing To Do, then we should do it. Screw OBL and what he thinks. If we need to leave, redeploy, or stay the course; then we should do it (and do it for the right reasons).
And what if OBL stops *thinking* and decides to start *doing* something? Well, our tax dollars are paying for the most bloated Intelligence organizations in history. And when they report that OBL is going to do something, then we need leadership that will take action to prevent it. The leadership we have now can't face asymetrical threats from bin Laden or any other freak that sits around *thinking* all day long. It hardly matters what bin Laden is *thinking* when the Bush Admin is on vacation, playing politics, or reading Shakespeares and My Pet Goat.
posted by Hot_Tuna at 8:59:00 PM
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