With the recent high-profile arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one wonders if this will lead to the capture of OBL. Do you think this will happen, and if so, will it be the great triumph of the war on terror?
As much as I would like to say yes, he would have to be monumentally stupid to stay where he currently is or go anywehere KSM knew about.
I thought that I read today in the Chicago Sun Times that Mohammed's son ratted him out. Or at least the intelligence gathered from him was what was used to catch his father.
Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? Again, I think he would have to be monumentally stupid to stay in a place where we've said we know (or think we know) he's hiding
he's repeatedly said he wouldn't be captured, that he'd die fighting. so we'd have to find him asleep and get him before he gets his gun. as for if we actually catch him...god i have no idea. obviously we don't kill him, he'll have lots of good info. probably the same thing that is happening to KSM right now. ultimately, who knows. probably not a public trial.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? I don't want to sound obtuse, but do you mean would we kill him or put him in jail, or are you referring to broader implications?
Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? sorry i didn't see that stipulation in your first post. kahlid was hanging out pretty much in public though so what does that say?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? well i would hope that they would clone him and then kill him at each superbowl halftime... hey, there's hope right?
Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? Agreed... But isnt that the whole point, to get him on the run and moving where he is easier to nab, especially when we have him "pinned down"? (heard that b/4)
I dont know guys... I have a big problem with keeping these high level guys alive for the simple fact that it encourages repeated hostsage situations of civilains who travel abroad.. The capture of OBL would encourage every minion out there to stake out resort hotels, etc, and take families hostage until his release.. (actually surprised it hasnt happened yet..) Although the intelligence gained would be useful, I would much rather have him "die in a firefight"..
chuck norris would tell you "that's what the delta force is for" i agree though. you'd probably have every extremist around doing anything possible to attempt to get him released.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? To make a short answer long, I think the broader implications are predicated on the answer to the first outcome. If we kill him, he becomes an instant martyr. If we arrest him, he becomes a political prisoner (at least in the eyes of those who would make him a martyr). Should we let that interfere with our decision-making process? Of course not. No matter how it plays out, there will be negative consequences vis-a-vis opinion in some corners of the Arab world, but we can't always let that bother us. Sometimes, sometimes, you have to worry about the immediate result and worry about the long-term effects, well, long-term.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? Either that a) he's monumentally stupid or b) he thought the public he was hanging out with was a lot friendlier than it was. I tend towards b.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? i'm glad you added that extra sometimes for imphasis otherwise i'd be very confused with your overall view on being active. i think this is good logic yet i disagree with how it's only applied "when convenient"
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? My only point (and I was lazy in not italicizing my second "sometimes" to indicate inflection ) is that you have to measure the short-term benefits versus the long-term costs. In this case, I think the short-term benefits clearly outweigh the long-term costs, especially if we assume that we're actively working towards eliminating or minimizing the long-term costs.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: OBL capture? I wish I could claim a) on this bastard, but unfortunately I cant.. You have to remember that this guy was known as a master-of-disguise, and sometimes doing the most obvious thing by putting himself in the open is the last place we would look, therefore the most cunning.. Especially when we have been searching all the obvious places.. Now, if we could only track his dialysis machine supply chain...