Obama's Allies Giving Him Too Much Credit for bin Laden Killing

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it sure in hell was not bush remember sadom hussen

troy of MI 7:00PM May 12, 2011

GOP are so bent out of shape because Obama succeeded where Bush failed, that they're rewriting history to elbow in on Obama's success and getting as many shills as possible to misrepresent the truth - if you've been calling Obama naive on terror, it's a bit embarrassing when he bags the terrorist trophy!
Just in time to correct the record, Wikileaks has released a file and documents from US military that contradict the desperate Republican tale & corroborate what myriad credible CIA & National Security personnel have been saying all week - - KSM and Abu Faraj al Libbi, who were tortured repeatedly with waterboarding in 2002 or 2003, misled the CIA multiple times and certainly did NOT lead everyone to Bin Laden compound!
From Wikkileaks - link to expanded story & docs below:
"The file suggests that the courier’s identity was provided to the US by another key source, the al-Qaida facilitator Hassan Ghul, who was captured in Iraq in 2004 and interrogated by the CIA (but not with Rumsfeld's "enhanced interrogation"). Ghul was never sent to Guantanamo but was believed to have been taken to a prison in Pakistan.He told the Americans that al-Kuwaiti travelled with bin Laden.
The file states
“Al-Kuwaiti was seen in Tora Bora and it is possible al-Kuwaiti was one of the individuals [al-Qahtani] reported accompanying UBL [bin Laden] in Tora Bora prior to UBL’s disappearance.”
The picture that emerges from al-Qahtani’s Guantanamo file supports statements given in the last 24 hours by US officials, who named Ghul as the “linchpin” in the intelligence operation to find bin Laden.
One official told the Associated Press that it was a phone call from al-Kuwaiti in 2010 that led the US directly to the walled compound in Abbottabad, north-east Pakistan, where bin Laden was finally shot by US special forces.
There's much more info in Wikkileaks piece.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8489866/WikiLeaks-Bin-Ladens-courier-trained-911-hijack-team.html
Let's not forget :
1. Al-Queda flew their planes into NY Twin Trade Towers, Pentagon & Pennsylvania crash site on 9.11.2001, on Bush/Cheney watch after warnings were ignored.
2. In 12.2001 at Battle of Tora Bora, Bush made a disastrous strategic decision by refusing the offer of 4,000 Marines, and BinLaden was able to escape...for 10 yrs.
3. On 3.13.2002, Bush said in a TV interview: "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority. I am truly not that concerned about him"
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02 (The New American 4/8/02)
4. He became distracted by wasteful Iraq war, which incurred $3T Debt.
5. In 2006, he closed the CIA/BinLaden Hunt Unit.
6. Obama took up the hunt again in 2008 & became deeply involved.
Given the history of Bush bungling, it's really disingenuous & dishonest to try steal credit. If Obama hadn't got involved & reactivated the mission, BinLaden would have ended his days in the Pakistan compound.

Arabella of NY 8:00AM May 05, 2011

Will have Senate & White House soon.
Yes barry was President when Bin died. Military trials at Gitmo. barry's late, late, late 2011 budget not even considered, so full of MORE DEBT.

Bill Hedges of MO 7:59AM May 05, 2011

give bush the assist; obama the basket. Our team wins!

melissa hayden of KY 1:49AM May 05, 2011

You, roff, are a stick-in-the-mud. That could be the definition for a conservative, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that in this moment of celebration you are such a sour-puss. Oh well, it suits you.

missionAccomplished of CO 10:24PM May 04, 2011

Former CIA chief Hayden on a talk radio interview yesterday:
"Well, what I'm at liberty to say is, what we got, the original lead information—and frankly it was incomplete identity information on the couriers—began with information from CIA detainees at the black sites," Hayden said. "And let me just leave it at that."
"There's one thing that can end: A lot of people claimed you didn't get any valuable intelligence out of these people or through these techniques, that's not true. We did. And this is proof of it."
And:
“Information provided by KSM and Abu Faraj al Libbi about Bin Laden’s courier was the lead information that eventually led to the location of [bin Laden’s] compound and the operation that led to his death,” Jose Rodriguez, chief of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center from 2002 to 2005, told Time magazine.

junioer of DC 3:22PM May 04, 2011

Typical take on the situation from a Fox news Stooge.

Timb of CA 12:32PM May 04, 2011

@ Meena of Ohio
Peter Roff appears on Fox News so obviously he is not a racist but a true American Patriot pointing out to all REAL Americans that the current man sleeping in our WHITE House is a kenyan born, radical muslim commie waging jihad against AMERICA!
GO G O P!
Support Congressman Isaa and Speaker Boehner's efforts to Impeach and Remove HUSSIEN!

Jeb of PA 12:27PM May 04, 2011

Osama bin Laden did not hijack the plane himself. Yet, we gave him full and complete recognition for it. Why? Because HE instructed his minions to do it!
Its called leadership. Don't be A hypocrite just because you don't like Obama's name or RACE, which by the way is black and white.
I have German ancestors but I don't see people calling me a natzi!
If he had a shred of Muslim or middle eastern in him and you are hateful for that, then you need to get over it because we have a million of people that live here of that race. Just because you're a race doesn't mean you are atypical. Stop stereotyping racist!!

Meena of OH 12:13PM May 04, 2011

Let us not go crazy trying to assess credit etc so soon after this operation. It is a sill exercise in politics - which played no role in this outcome. Already, the overly dramatic details that were initially reported are being rescinded. This is what you get with a 24/7 news cycle. Lets be first instead of getting it right. The 1$ million dollar mansion - did we have a real estate agent fly in on the Apache helicopters and do an assessment of the property during a gunfight??
The Navy Seals are going thru a debriefing period right now and the significant haul of intelligence data will need to be assessed. What we do know is that the hunt for Bin Laden began 10 years ago and the American people, through its military and two administrations finally prevailed in serving justice.
We cannot not know if enhanced interrogation 8 years ago yielded significant intel resulting in this recent conclusion. At the same time , we cannot know if enhanced interrogation led to many chases down dead ends for the last 8 years because those methods produced wasted data based upon the perp giving up anything his interogators wanted to hear. Those questions will be answered when the appropriate documents are de-classified.
What we do know is that America can be relentless in its pursuit of justice!!
BSHEA

BShea of CT 12:03PM May 04, 2011