What If Osama's In Pakistan?

Bush Says If He Were, & We Knew Where, U.S. Would Take Military Action

(AP)  President Bush said Wednesday he would order military action inside Pakistan if intelligence indicated Osama bin Laden or other top terror leaders were hiding there.

“Absolutely,” he said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

With bin Laden still at large five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and believed to be hiding along the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mr. Bush disputed any suggestion that Pakistan has not done enough to hunt down terrorist leaders. Mr. Bush meets Friday at the White House, and again next week, with Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.

“I view President Musharraf as somebody who would like to bring al Qaeda to justice,” Mr. Bush said. “There's no question there is a kind of a hostile territory in the remote regions of Pakistan that makes it easier for somebody to hide.”

In a news conference last week, Mr. Bush said he could not send thousands of troops into Pakistan to search for bin Laden without an invitation from the government. “Pakistan's a sovereign nation,” Mr. Bush said then.

But in the television interview, Mr. Bush was asked whether he would give the order for American troops to kill or capture bin Laden or other terror leaders if good intelligence pointed to their whereabouts, even if it were inside Pakistan's borders.

“We would take the action necessary to bring them to justice,” the president said.

On the standoff over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions, Mr. Bush said he takes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seriously when he says Israel shouldn't exit. Ahmadinejad has called the Nazis' slaughter of 6 million Jews a myth and said Israel should be wiped off the map or moved to Germany or the United States.

“You can't just hope for the best,” Mr. Bush said. “You've got to assume that the leader, when he says that he would like to destroy Israel, means what he says. If you take — if you say, well, gosh, maybe he doesn't mean it, and you turn out to be wrong, you have not done your duty as a world leader. ... Absolutely I take him seriously.”

Mr. Bush would not talk about Israeli estimates that it could take Iran only a few more months to get to the point where it could start building a nuclear bomb.

“I'm not going to discuss with you our intelligence on the subject,” the president said. “But time is of the essence.”

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Tony Snow said Mr. Bush did not watch Ahmadinejad's speech Tuesday evening at the U.N. General Assembly.

In his remarks, which he gave only hours after Mr. Bush stood at the same podium in New York, the hard-line leader denounced U.S. policies in Iraq and Lebanon and accused Washington of abusing its power in the U.N. Security Council to punish others while protecting its own interests and allies.

Ahmadinejad insisted that his nation's nuclear activities are “transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eye” of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

[emhawks]

Interesting that Bush is talking about bin Laden again, just (2) months before the mid-term elections. Could the killing or capture of bin Laden be the "October surprise" that Karl Rove has been talking about?
I think if this adm. had wanted to capture bin Laden, they would have done so by now. And if they do capture him, I think he'll be killed @ time of capture because Bush & Cheney are afraid of what he might say.

[mwe3wm]

I would like to thank CBS for this forum.

I wish I could support Mr. Bush. He just seems to always do the thing that leaves us more vulnerable. He must feel confident in the leader of Pakistan can control his people. He can make inflammatory statements about unilateral action knowing full well this could not be done.

This Republican government must go. Every time we have Republicans in control, they always want to set up their own government within a government.

Ronald Reagan had Irangate and was running separate government in the White house basement funded by drug and arm sales money.

Bush now has a secret and classified government that we now are negotiating with him for oversight.

Bush senior did step up and help free Kuwait and I think Junior just thought that he could do the same in Iraq. Do we think he achieved his goal.

The middle east does deserve our attention, but the country's name ends with N and not Q.

Oh by the way, do you remember 1980 and the deal Ronald Reagan made with the Iranian terrorist to wait and release the hostages only after his inauguration? If only he had not been such an friend to terrorists at a time we can all agree was the beginning of our current problems.

[tomflint69]

I think, since Pakistan's internal political conditions have been very sensitive and they are reluctant to allow any operation by U.S forces, in fact they will do some sort of 'silent operation' with the U.S forces if they may get any credible intelligence.
Definitely they will never announce it or let any one know that US forces are working inside Pakistan. Otherwise, the cooperatio between the two countries would be useless. Sure, they will keep it secret from the public and any media involvement.

[mikekleber]

How is Bush going to find Bin Laden inside Pakistan when he's had 5 years in Afghanistan??? All he's been able to do so far is alienate our country from the rest of the worled and make all of his buddies in his administration wealthier than belief.

[tomflint69]

They may not kill him, because presenting a
"live Osama" will give a unique taste and appreciation from the whole world.
Like Mr. Sadam, I think he will be put to trial in U.S and then in Afghanistan(a rare chance).
After he will be caught, the news will never be released immediately but after perhaps 1-2 months later, on some best possible and safe occasion.

[tomflint69]

If Osamam is caught, The two governments (Pak & U.S) may first make up public's mind in their countries before releasing the news of Osama's capture.

[bryonblr]

To Iran's government: There is no difference between you and Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. You preach the same hate messages all in the name of Islam. Destruction to the United States and Israel-really? How do you plan to pull that off? With all your oil, your economy only ranks 20th in the world. Half of your population lives below the poverty line. Yet you have enough money to supply Hezbollah with thousands of rockets. If you want to play Hitler in denying the Holocaust and announcing to the world for the destruction of Israel, don't you need a better economy? Comparable to Adolf Hilter's Germany in 1938? American's Pentagon's budget is more than double Iran's total gross domestic product. With Muslims blowing themselves up in the name of Islam, We are not going to allow you to have a nuclear bomb. FUTURE Headlines: Iran nukes Israel- all in the name of Islam. All of Irans people are new martyrs in the distorted Jihad against the United States and Israel. YES- you do have the right to nuclear energy but not a nuclear bomb. Turn back now! Or we will bomb your nuclear sites every 3 years. Your lucky we are not calling for your destruction like you have for the United States and Israel. For we have the Power- you do not!
God bless the United States of America!

[iswhatitis1]

RIGHT ON bryonblr

[dargay]

Bush needs to calm down and conduct this war on terror with allies and with patience. Pakistan can do the job if, and only if there is some actual intelligence. The opinions and guesstimates of variosu experts and pundits are ultimately useless.

[tellitasitis]

bryonblr

well said! and just to add

these people think with there oil they have the control the reality is we are just using their oil first we have HUGE surplus's of oil in this region still yet untouched, yes some of it will take the environmentalist's to get out of the way (which they will eventually) but canada has alot more oil then ANYONE realizes and currently supplies other portions of the world ahead of the U.S.

so.... once WE finally begin to reorganize our use of these resources (and begin to care for ourselves better in this region - which we will) THEY will find themselves holding a pot full of S HIT and looking across at us from their "wasteland" begging for some grain.......... uhhhhhh cause WE / this region ARE the largest producers of FOOD on the planet if I am not mistaken!!

[tellitasitis]

and of course

WE will share with ALL coutries and peoples of the world as long as THEY are and remain peaceful with us......

[drgoodwin12]

We have forgotten about Bin Laden,the pakistani goverment has created a treaty with the Taliban/Al Queda and Iraq is getting worse by the day.Here's the link http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2472188 .It seems to me that if you add up the total death toll for this year in Iraq along with the tortures,Iraq is in worse shape now than it was before Saddam ouster.We went to war with Iraq for no good reason,have created a haven for terrorist,militias and insurgents. What was Bush thinking 11 days into office demanding a battle plan for Iraq(source:Against all Enemies and the price of Loyalty)neither book has been rebuked on these charges which both came from prominent republicans.It's time to impeach.

[enlightened4-2009]

to thoughs that blindly follow american foreign policy blindly. Wake up and smell the coffee. there are usually no thruths behind certain events that have occured over the past 2 decades rather its the prophicies that certain organisations would like them to become facts.
people need to understand difference between facts and fiction, between real and cereal. between right and wrong. especially develope their ability of common sense. it seems that adminstartion of american is acting in the manner of NERO (roman emprorer).

[ab19711]

It important to hear other voice around the globe. The signs of failling are visible. Our human history has knew some great empire before. These empire failed because of the orragance of their leaders. The signs of the failling are visible. Becarefull. If you tell to a slavery master in 17 century that the slavery will be over they will never take that serious. The signs desctruction are visible. When a Man like the Governor of New-Yersey ( a public figure) claimed to be ***, I'm afraid. The signs of failling are visible. When money become the only driving spirit , we need to ask ourself. Thanks