Because Osama Bin Laden has been of more use to George W. Bush alive than dead

Would the Bush Administration have been able to get away with systematically eviscerating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights if Osama Bin Laden had been captured before now? Hardly. So now we know: Just as with everything else this Administration has done, its handling of Bin Laden has never been about justice or about national security. It's been about politics all along. And now that George W. Bush needs SOMETHING....ANYTHING to try to mitigate his legacy as the most destructive, horrific president this country has known in its entire history -- NOW he's decided it's time to get Bin Laden:

NPR has learned that the raid by helicopter-borne U.S. Special Operations forces in Pakistan last week was not an isolated incident but part of a three-phase plan, approved by President Bush, to strike at Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida leadership.

The plan calls for a much more aggressive military campaign, said one source, familiar with the presidential order, which gives the green light for the military to take part in the operations. The plan represents an 11th-hour effort to hammer al-Qaida until the Bush administration leaves office, two government officials told NPR.

"Definitely, the gloves have come off," said a source who has been briefed on the plan. "This was only Phase 1 of three phases."

Pentagon and White House officials have declined to discuss the new plan.

The intelligence community already had approval from the president to carry out operations inside Pakistan, which included attacks by Predator drones, which can carry 100-pound Hellfire missiles.

Additional authority came from the president just recently that allowed incursions by U.S. Special Operations forces, the source said.

[snip]

Both sources say those in the intelligence community and on Capitol Hill are raising questions about the political intent of this new aggressive stance.

"The question is," said one of the sources, "Why wasn't this done a year ago?"

For that matter, why not seven? Of course we know the answer. It's because a frightened population was a necessary condition for the Administration to eliminate our right to be left alone by our government and for it to stay in power for two terms.

Because for the Republicans, and this includes John McCain, it's never, ever "Country First." It's politics first. It's victory first. Country comes in at around #1,485.