Bush's dilemma

Was anyone else as offended by Bush's focus on Osama Bin Laden last night as I was? After all, this is the man who shrugged his shoulders back in March 2002 and said:

And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him.

Let's give that clip another listen, shall we?



Last night, just as he did last week, he returned to his "dead or alive" tone of September 2001:

Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice.

And herein lies Bush's dilemma. Has anyone ever benefitted from an enemy as much as Bush has benefitted from Osama Bin Laden? It's no secret that the Bush family has benefitted mightily from its cozy relationships with Saudi oil sheikhs, including members of the Bin Laden family. It's a known fact that on the morning of the attacks, George Herbert Walker Bush was meeting with Osama bin Laden's brother, Shafig bin Laden, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in D.C. the morning of the attacks. At the very least, there is enough to raise eyebrows about the cozy relationship between the two families.

Even if you want to buy the notion that Osama is the Bin Laden family's Designated Family Shithead and that none of the Bin Laden/Bush family connections mean anything, there's no denying that having Osama Bin Laden out there as a constant threat has benefitted the Bush Administration for five years. As long as Bin Laden is out there, Americans can live with the constant threat of another 9/11 looming over their heads, and they can look to their president to do whatever he must in order to "make them feel safer." This is why this president has been able to completely subvert the Constitution he was sworn to uphold, and no one has uttered a peep.

But right now it appears that his luck may have run out, even with Disney/ABC's attempt to help. According to a CNN poll released yesterday, the percentage of people who blame Bush for the 9/11 attacks has risen from 32% to 45% over the past four years. That's nearly half of Americans who believe that Bush had either "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for the attacks. Disney and the Bush Administration have been effective in their propaganda efforts, however, for 41% also believe that the Clinton Administration had either "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of responsibility for the attacks. Unfortunately, no one asked how much responsibility George Herbert Walker Bush had for the 1993 attacks, which would have given us a better picture of how much Americans blame those in charge in the months leading into an attack when his name isn't "Bill Cliniton." Still, these numbers are astonishing.

The Bush administration has lost all credibility in terms of the fight against terrorism, because of its ill-advised and botched adventure in Iraq. Despite his beating of the Iraq drum again last night, and Cheney's and Condi's stubborn insistence on the Sabbath Gasbag shows that there was a connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda despite ALL evidence to the contrary, his word no longer makes Americans dance. He needs to do something to keep the Democrats from taking control of Congress and embarking on a bunch of pesky investigations. It's clear that an October Surprise is coming; the only question is what that's going to be. At one point, it seemed clear that an invasion of Iran would be the surprise, but with Iran now willing to have talks with the EU and the U.S. over its nuclear problem, that is no longer a viable option. An invasion of Syria, despite today's attack on the U.S. embassy there, isn't going to resonate outside of thos stubborn Bush acolytes who still believe Saddam moved his WMD there.

That leaves only one option: the capture of Osama Bin Laden just in time for the election.

With Bush ratcheting up the rhetoric about Bin Laden over the last week, after three years of "not being all that concerned about him", and news reports that the path has gone "stone cold", does anyone doubt that the Admininstration knows EXACTLY where he is, and will bring him in or kill him at the most opportune time?

Bin Laden is a huge chip to have to cash in, and it remains to be seen if the Republicans can still keep the population frightened enough to put up with further evisceration of their rights if he is not out there as the Designated Boogeyman. But for the Bush Administration, the priority is to keep Republicans in power in Congress for the next two years to forestall investigations. And a capture or killing of Bin Laden at the 11th hour may be the only way to do that.