Osama.....is there an election surprise on the cards?

[Argyll]

I read in a forum when I was doing some research on the ME and Afghanistan,that there are rumours that the US has OBL in custody already,and the Bush administration will produce him as their trumph card before the November elections.........what are the forum members views on this?


I personaly think it would be a superb piece of Political skill/Manipulation......and the news that the US has been craving for since 9/11......and a sure fire vote winner!

[Roger Rabbit]

Possibly. Sure would be an election winner but i would have thought they'd produce his body or something. Putting OBL on trial in America would cause more problems than if his dead body just turned up and the Americans say they dropped a bomb on his cave or something in my opinion. On a different note, if they said they captured him in the same circumstances as Sadamn then it wouldn't look good for OBL after all his "fight to the death" speechs.

[oldsoak]

I think someone would ask that question should he suddenly appear in custody - and the repercussions would not be good - accusations of rigging etc. - be a bit blatant, so I dont think they do that.

[George W. Bush]

I think we'll get him before October

[Seoulstriker]

you sounds like Madeline Albright, Howard Dean, and the rest of the nuts in the democratic party. woot woot

[Sir Zach of R.]

I doubt they already have him. With all the talk about sending troops into Pakistan to search for that rat b@stard. If we catch him before before the election's over, Bush will seize the day.

[DeltaWhisky58]

To be honest, producing a body proven to be that of OBL just prior to the elections would be a huge coup for the Bush administration, IMO a prisoner would not be a good idea.

Capturing OBL alive could be a negative thing in the long run, just as I suspect the Sadman will be. Producing a body which was evidentially Saddam Hussein or OBL should have a better long-term political effect than a long and drawn-out trial, with no guarantee of a suitable result afterwards.

I don't know when Sadman is going to re-appear from Diego Garcia or wherever they have him currently, but the debate about what action to take with him is going to bang on ad-infinitim. A well placed round on Dec 15th would have saved the tax payer worlwide several billions, and assured the Iraqi people of his demise once and for all. Who knows what is going to happen at this stage with Sadman or OBL

[BMF_EOD]

It's entirely possible that his 6' 7" ass was splattered all over the inside of a cave and the US intelligence agencies are keeping it under wraps (so as not to insight revenge or "jihad" from his lowely followers.) Seen any videos lately?

I wouldn't be suprised if the Pentagon produces DNA evidence here shortly.

[Argyll]

It's entirely possible that his 6' 7" ass was splattered all over the inside of a cave and the US intelligence agencies are keeping it under wraps (so as not to insight revenge or "jihad" from his lowely followers.) Seen any videos lately?

I wouldn't be suprised if the Pentagon produces DNA evidence here shortly.

Exactly my thinking too ,it is not like OBL to get a PR opportunity to show his followers he's still around by having a video of him reading Yesterdays paper!

[Basil]

Probably should be in humour section but:-

http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/osamavideo/

56 kers beware takes awhile

[Upfrontreporting]

I'd be happy if they just produced his head ;)

[Nizark]

It would be next to impossible to have OBL alive right now and no one spill the beans. Even if Rambo went in there himself, and grabbed him, there is still the airlift crew, the security around him, the ship's crew or base where he would be held and all kinds of other logistical people involved. Now if he we dead and we got him, he is in the freezer waiting to be de-thawed in about August.

[usa320]

i dont care when we get him, as long as we get him.

Frankly, i have a bad feeling that if a democrat wins in November, we night not get him.

[hank]

I hope that is not true. That could really backfire on Bush if people think he is sandbagging to get re-elected. I'm a Bush supporter and I would really question his motivations if that ends up being true. I bet that is just a rumor.

hank

[2Sheds_Jackson]

This is like when the Democrats accused Reagan of orchestrating the "October Surprise" - where Bush 41 supposedly flew in an SR-71 to Iran to get the hostages released. That's just crazy. We all know he used the AN/TRC-223B Instantaneous Bulk Matter Transfer Chamber, not an SR-71.

[cbreedon]

Governments can't organise a "pissup in a brewery", let alone cover up something like this. It would have already gotten out by now if it were true.

A couple of days after Sadaam was captured the "unauthorised" pictures were posted on the internet.

[sethen]

It wouldn't suprise me if the lowlifes in the Bush Administration pulled a stunt like this just before the elections! :| I remember that it was alleged that the Hostages in Iran were relesed at an opportunistic time to make that b-grade actor Reagan seem like such a great leader! The Bush's both jr and sr are corrupt and use the U.S. military and goverment to further thier own interests. Such as catching Saddam. Impeach the Cockroaches!!!!! Oh, even if they lose the election they can buy/steal it back with some help from their gang! What will they do this time a coup?

[SpetsnazAlfa]

It wouldn't suprise me if the lowlifes in the Bush Administration pulled a stunt like this just before the elections! :| I remember that it was alleged that the Hostages in Iran were relesed at an opportunistic time to make that b-grade actor Reagan seem like such a great leader! The Bush's both jr and sr are corrupt and use the U.S. military and goverment to further thier own interests. Such as catching Saddam. Impeach the Cockroaches!!!!! Oh, even if they lose the election they can buy/steal it back with some help from their gang! What will they do this time a coup?

WEll said. Political positions are reguarded as a job now. It used to be seen as a privelage. Now lets look at some ancient history

Athens at its golden age was a democrasy, and at the peak of its height, political positions were seen as privelages. Political positions were taken for granted as jobs and people became uninterested in politics. A bunch of other thigns happened and Athens fell.

Sound familiar?

[usa320]

Governments can't organise a "pissup in a brewery", let alone cover up something like this. It would have already gotten out by now if it were true.

A couple of days after Sadaam was captured the "unauthorised" pictures were posted on the internet.

One of the few sensible things written so far in this thread.

Im confident well get him though, soon. We learned things in our experience in Afghanistan, and weve come along as far as intelligence gathering goes. If we use the same strategy we used to find saddam, finding osama wont be all that hard. Weve already narrowed it down to a box on the pakistani border.

[Argyll]

If we use the same strategy we used to find saddam


If only you knew ;)