Goss Claims He Has Idea Where Bin Laden Is

revolutionary · Jun 20, 2005, 11:56 AM

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NEW YORK - The director of the CIA says he has an "excellent idea" where Osama bin Laden is hiding, but that the United States' respect for sovereign nations makes it more difficult to capture the al-Qaida chief.

In an interview with Time for the magazine's June 27 issue, Porter Goss was asked about the progress of the hunt for bin Laden.

"When you go to the question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you're dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play," Goss said. "We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways."

Asked whether that meant he knew where bin Laden is, Goss responded: "I have an excellent idea where he is. What's the next question?"

Goss did not say where he thinks bin Laden is, nor did he specify what country or countries he was referring to when he spoke of foreign sanctuaries. But American officials have long said they believed bin Laden was hiding in rugged mountains along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

source (and a link for conservatives)

So, since when does the US Goverment care about "sovereign states" and "international obligation(s)"?

Ubergrendle · Jun 20, 2005, 02:25 PM

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Originally Posted by revolutionary

source (and a link for conservatives)

So, since when does the US Goverment care about "sovereign states" and "international obligation(s)"?

Since the US doesn't want to jeopardise Musharaf who is pro-US but has a tenuous hold on the presidency of Pakistan?

Since the US doesn't want to antagonise a country with a demonstrated capability with nuclear weapons?

Since the current administration probably learned its lessons from overreacting to 9/11 in the first place, and doesn't want ot harm its international reputation any further?

Knowing where he is, vs being able to surgically enter the country, grab bin Laden, and leave is another story. Its like saying "I know where George Clooney is...he's in California."

daedal · Jun 22, 2005, 10:26 AM

Notthe first time they say that they know where he is..

EleazarCAST · Jun 22, 2005, 05:47 PM

The U.S. has always cared, you just don't see the whole picture. You have to remember that in 9/11 we were attacked. So, we did something about it. War is something that is great, but sometimes it is a necessary evil. Now thanks to the U.S., many terrible men have been brought to justice. Yet, people still try to insist this is a bad thing. Well, take it this way, we aren't going to just sit around and experience atrocity after atrocity. When we have an atrocity, it's personal and you better believe we're going to do it. And we're not going to go in there with our hands tied behind are back, we learned from our mistakes in Vietnam. No, we're going full fledged and we're going to get the job done right. Unfortunately, right now, we have to get permission to take care of Bin Laden. This is because we respect others and we always have.

revolutionary · Jun 22, 2005, 09:45 PM

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Originally Posted by EleazarCAST

The U.S. has always cared, you just don't see the whole picture. You have to remember that in 9/11 we were attacked. So, we did something about it.

I have never said that the US attacking Afghanistan was wrong.

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War is something that is great, but sometimes it is a necessary evil. Now thanks to the U.S., many terrible men have been brought to justice.

I think you meant, "isn't"?

The US is still yet to get bin Laden, yet Goss has "an excellent idea where he is." Interesting...

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Yet, people still try to insist this is a bad thing.

Everything about war is 'bad', so of course people insist that the achievements received through it are bad. You just alluded to war being bad in your previous statement.

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Well, take it this way, we aren't going to just sit around and experience atrocity after atrocity. When we have an atrocity, it's personal and you better believe we're going to do it. And we're not going to go in there with our hands tied behind are back, we learned from our mistakes in Vietnam. No, we're going full fledged and we're going to get the job done right.

Atrocities, you mean like the ones committed by Saddam on his own people using US funded chemical weapons?

The US has not done enough to try and catch bin Laden. When the war in Afghanistan first started, there were rumors as to bin Laden's whereabouts, yet the US only sent a limited number of US troops looking for him and he slipped away.

Vietnam was an unpopular war from beginning to end; the war on Iraq was just about as unpopular. Did you really learn anything?

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Unfortunately, right now, we have to get permission to take care of Bin Laden. This is because we respect others and we always have.

The US didn't get permission from the UN or the world to invade Iraq, yet now the US needs permission to cross the boarder into their 'ally's' country? Very interesting...

revolutionary · Jun 22, 2005, 09:59 PM

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Originally Posted by Ubergrendle

Since the US doesn't want to jeopardise Musharaf who is pro-US but has a tenuous hold on the presidency of Pakistan?

Pro-US yet will not let the US cross the boarder to look for their most wanted terrorist?

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Since the US doesn't want to antagonise a country with a demonstrated capability with nuclear weapons?

Just like the US does not want to antagonize Iran and N. Korea, righ?

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Since the current administration probably learned its lessons from overreacting to 9/11 in the first place, and doesn't want ot harm its international reputation any further?

I cannot comment on the US' international reputation as I have not been out of the US, but one would imagine the US would not care about it's reputation when comes to protecting their people from future terrorist attacks. After all, bin Laden is the head of al-Qaeda, the organization the carried out 9/11.

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Knowing where he is, vs being able to surgically enter the country, grab bin Laden, and leave is another story. Its like saying "I know where George Clooney is...he's in California."

Wrong. It's more like saying bin Laden's in Los Angeles, CA., in which case the US can look for him. The US has scoured entire counties in Iraq, they can do so in Afghanistan.

Falstaff · Jun 23, 2005, 08:49 AM

We know where he is, and have know for over three years...