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Policy Dispute (Inside the Ring w/Bill Gertz)
Washington Times ^ | 7/10/08 | Bill Gertz

Posted on 07/10/2008 10:24:19 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

Defense officials are criticizing what they say is the failure to capture or kill top al Qaeda leaders because of timidity on the part of policy officials in the Pentagon, diplomats at the State Department and risk-averse bureaucrats within the intelligence community.

Military special operations forces (SOF) commandos are frustrated by the lack of aggressiveness on the part of several policy and intelligence leaders in pursuing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his top henchmen, who are thought to have hidden inside the tribal areas of Pakistan for the past 6½ years.

The focus of the commandos' ire, the officials say, is the failure to set up bases inside Pakistan's tribal region, where al Qaeda has regrouped in recent months, setting up training camps where among those being trained are Western-looking terrorists who can pass more easily through security systems. The lawless border region inside Pakistan along the Afghan border remains off-limits to U.S. troops.

The officials say that was not always the case. For a short time, U.S. special operations forces went into the area in 2002 and 2003, when secret Army Delta Force and Navy SEALs worked with Pakistani security forces.

That effort was halted under Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, who recently blamed Pakistan for opposing the joint operations. Mr. Armitage, however, also disclosed his diplomatic opposition to the commando operations. Mr. Armitage, an adviser to Republican presidential contender Sen. John McCain, told the New York Times last month that the United States feared pressuring Pakistani leaders for commando access and that the Delta Force and SEALs in the tribal region were "pushing them almost to the breaking point."

Another major setback for aggressive special operations activities occurred recently with a decision to downgrade the U.S. Special Operations Command. ...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; armitage; binladen; dispute; globaljihad; insidethering; osama; pakistan; policy; wot

1 posted on 07/10/2008 10:24:19 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

We’re in trouble when the words “timidity” and “Pentagon” can be used in the same sentence.


2 posted on 07/10/2008 10:31:10 AM PDT by ladtx ( "Never miss a good chance to shut up." - - Will Rogers)
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To: NormsRevenge
A lot of folks blame a lot of things on Bush without cause, but this one is his and his alone.

President Pollyanna is Commander in Chief, and has the power and duty to order OBL taken out. For seven years now he has let those of lesser rank get away with doing otherwise.

OBL and Muqtada Al Sadr will still be in power when Bush leaves office. Shame on Bush...Trying and failing is one thing...He didn't even let our boys try.

3 posted on 07/10/2008 10:31:32 AM PDT by SENTINEL (By their works shall ye know them.....)
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To: NormsRevenge
This nonsense has been going on for years. When the Pentagon needs to get the ok from lawyers before launching time-critical missions, we're in big trouble. Lawyers and battlefields don't mix.
4 posted on 07/10/2008 10:33:56 AM PDT by mojito
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To: ladtx
The 'political will' to fight and win is not present. It seems to permeate the civilian side of government and is oozing over with the top military.

Sometimes I do wonder and maybe even question about the guidance they are given from above. Our men and women in the field, in harms way, every day always show outstanding effort using their own will and common sense to be the best and do the best.
5 posted on 07/10/2008 10:37:35 AM PDT by K-oneTexas (I'm not a judge and there ain't enough of me to be a jury. (Zell Miller, A National Party No More))
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To: NormsRevenge

6 posted on 07/10/2008 10:40:08 AM PDT by april15Bendovr (Free Republic & Ron Paul Cult = oxymoron)
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To: mojito

Yes. The lawyers were empowered during the Carter and Clinton years, but Bush has done nothing to reverse those evils.

We also see them at work in the Hadith fiasco.

Bush simply doesn’t seem to understand, or possibly not to care, that if you leave all of the opposition’s stooges in power in key positions in all the federal agencies, they are not going to serve you or the country with loyalty.

I’m surprised that he didn’t leave Jamie Gorelick in charge of these matters, but perhaps she didn’t want to serve under him.


7 posted on 07/10/2008 10:42:16 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: NormsRevenge

Perhaps now we can go back to a Department of War instead of a Department of Defense.


8 posted on 07/10/2008 10:43:20 AM PDT by BGHater (Heller v. DC= McCain-Feingold for Gun Control)
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To: NormsRevenge; archy; Squantos

bttt


9 posted on 07/10/2008 10:55:49 AM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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