Bush Says Americans Want Bin Laden 'Dead or Alive'

Reuters ^ | 9-17-01 12:17 PM ET | n/a

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said Monday the United States wanted Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden "dead or alive" and warned Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia it will be held accountable for giving him safe haven.

Asked if he wanted to see death for bin Laden, considered by Washington the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 hijack attacks in America, Bush said: "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive."'

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Pentagon, Bush also put the Taliban on notice they will be held responsible for helping bin Laden. Bin Laden has been based in Afghanistan.

"We are going to find those who, those evildoers, those barbaric people who attacked our country, and we're going to hold them accountable, and we're going to hold the people who house them accountable, the people who think they can provide them safe havens will be held accountable, the people who feed them will be held accountable, and the Taliban must take my statement seriously," Bush said.

[Illbay]

bin Laden is the head of the beast that has been killing Americans for a decade. He's going down, period, end of story.

That's what I'm afraid of.

[jwalsh07]

You forgot to read part 2!

[Long Cut]

Would it make you happier if he was tortured to death, publicly, over several days, with the video sent to all possible terrorist countries? He needs to die, with all his followers, posthaste. Deal with it.

[Illbay]

Would it make you happier if he was tortured to death, publicly, over several days, with the video sent to all possible terrorist countries?

You need to go back and reread my posts on this topic. You obviously didn't do so very carefully.

[Long Cut]

Maybe not. it's late. But I do seem to recall your previous statements all week being , shall we say, less than gung-ho to eliminate these scourges. The only way to solve the terrorist problem is to kill all terrorists (Islamist, IRA, whatever) regardless of "their cause". Or their hideouts. If someone takes their place, kill them. We've got plenty of ammo...

[Illbay]

No, my only statements in this regard is that Islam isn't the enemy. These terrorists are. They happen to be (mostly) Muslims, but that has nothing to do with the identification of the enemy.

That there are some here who want to use the religious identity to pursue their bigoted agenda has nothing to do with my enthusiasm for defeating the enemy.

[Long Cut]

Clarification accepted. I'm still REAL mad at them, however.I am a serving Navy member, and I am proud to call myself a warrior (EAWS-qualified for those who care) and , in my worldview, a warrior does NOT target innocents for destruction. I know, some get killed in war anyway, but the moral distinction between accidental collatteral damage and deliberatly targeting is as wide as the Grand Canyon. Most of my Brother Sailors feel the same. We can't wait...