An October surprise: Can the U.S. get Bin Laden by election day?

With barely seven weeks to go until election day, and four months left in office, the Bush administration has launched a three-phase plan intended "to strike at Osama bin Laden and top Al Qaeda leadership," NPR is reporting tonight.

President Bush has approved a plan that has brought a "surge" of CIA personnel from around the world into the fight along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, in an 11th-hour effort "to hammer Al Qaeda before the November election," the radio network says, quoting "two government officials."

Throughout the week, news organizations have been reporting on different elements of the stepped-up campaign.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the United States was deploying Predator aircraft equipped with sophisticated new surveillance systems as part of its escalating offensive against extremist targets in Pakistan.

The effort along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border raises this question: Why wasn't it started earlier?

And, as important, what does the election — and Bush's nearing departure from the White House — have to do with the timing?

Update at 11 a.m. PDT Sept. 15: Since posting the article, NPR has removed the reference to a strike being conducted before election day. Instead, it says: "The plan represents an 11th-hour effort to hammer Al Qaeda until the Bush administration leaves office, two government officials told NPR."

-- James Gerstenzang

File Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[jeffjohn]

IAN,
You are 100% correst in your post. Just the looney left that are too ignorant and will believe any left wing theory, try keeping up with the news. It has been stated numorous times they did not want to take a chance of toppling the Mushareef government , after all they are a Nuclear power. And they are alot of groups unfriendly with the U.S. that would like nothing more than to aquire those weapons. That is also what makes it so scary when there LEADER obama makes statements like.we would send troops to invade Pakistan in order to get Bin Laden, he is just making a political statement or is very dangerous.Apparently anything but soundbites are over these peoples head.

[Mtnman Gamble]

Per about all we can find out Bush had discussed invading Iraq for several months before 9/11 and only took this event as a excuse to start this OIL WAR, one must remember that the bush family is deep into oil and have made MULTI MILLIONS on the higher prices of oil now.
Anyway BUSH did attack the wrong people and of course used MANY lies in doing it as it is known that Bin Laden and Al Qaeda had been banned from Iraq for years and that there is no way that Iraq could have been involved in 9/11.
Had we gone after Al Qaeda in the first place as we should have this "war" would have been over in weeks not years.
In fact Florida was more involved in the 9/11 attack than Iraq as the pilots were trained in Faorida on Merritt Island where I also took flight lessons.
As to getting Bin Laden, he is probably dead and a stand in is doing his thinfg now but if he is alive and is captured it is a real good bet that he will never live to stand trial because way too many of Bush's lies will come out if he is allowed to speak.
I really don't think that getting anyone that is said to be bin Laden would do much to effect the election but believe that Bush just wants a feather in his cap when he is out of office.
themtnman@tost.net

[John Provocative]

For quite some time now I've been telling everyone that they are going to pull Bin Laden out of a hat just before the election guaranteeing a McCain victory.
The very fact that this has had very little mention strongly suggests that it may well take place.

[Steve]

This couldn't possibly be due to the fact that Pakistan has a new President and that the previous one would not allow the US to search for OBL in their country could it?

[CJ]

CHECK THE NPR LINK AGAIN.

They quietly dropped the claim of an "October Surprise." Dropped reference to Election Day.

Stay classy, NPR and LA Times.

George bush is a war criminal, who has waged war amongst the muslims of the world. His targets are now set in iran and pakistan and will plunder its wealth to finance its banks. Hopefully Iran and Pakistan will resist with full might.

[gary]

GEORGE BUSH WILL GO DOWN IN LATER HISTORY AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO FIGHT MUSLIM TERROISTS ABERHAM LINCOLN WAS NOT LIKED UNTIL AFTER HIS DEATH HISTORY WILL BE KIND TO BUSH NOT CLINTON WHO LET BIN LADEN SLIP THROUGH HIS FINGERS BECAUSE OF INDECISION