Bush Confident Bin Laden Will Be Captured By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
1 hour, 10 minutes ago



President Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, vowed Wednesday to stand by this emerging democracy and not "cut and run" in the face of rising violence. He also predicted Osama bin Laden would be captured despite a futile five-year hunt.

"I'm confident he will be brought to justice," Bush said, standing alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai outside the presidential palace.

Bush also rallied U.S. troops and expressed solidarity with Karzai's U.S.-backed government in a surprise visit of just over four hours at the onset of a South Asia trip.

He later flew to New Delhi, India, where tens of thousands of Indians demonstrated Wednesday against his visit, and was visiting Pakistan later in the week.

Bush pledged that bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader, and other planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks would be caught.

"It's not a matter of if they're captured and brought to justice, it's when they're brought to justice," Bush said.

It was the first presidential visit to Afghanistan since the United States routed the Taliban and began a thus far fruitless five-year search for bin laden in the region.

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding out somewhere along the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Bush held a working lunch with Karzai and other Afghan leaders, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. embassy in Kabul and spoke to U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base.

"People all over the world are watching the experience here in Afghanistan," Bush said, praising Karzai as "a friend and an ally."

Karzai took power after U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taliban regime. But Taliban insurgents and al-Qaida militants have been increasing attacks within Afghanistan in recent months.

The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, told a congressional hearing in Washington on Tuesday that the insurgency was still growing and posed a greater threat to Karzai's government "than at any point since late 2001."

Karzai greeted Bush as "our great friend, our great supporter, a man who helped us liberate."

Turning to his three-day visit to India, Bush said the United States and Indian government still have not reached a deal over U.S. help for India's civilian nuclear program.

"This is a difficult issue," he said. Negotiations were continuing, Bush said.

"Hopefully we can reach an agreement," Bush said. "If not, we'll continue to work on it until we do."

U.S. restrictions on providing nuclear assistance to India, slapped on after back-to-back nuclear weapons tests by India and Pakistan in 1998, remain in place.

Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed an agreement in July that would provide India with nuclear fuel for the country's booming but energy-starved economy.

But the pact faces some political opposition in both countries, mostly over determining how to separate India's civilian and military nuclear facilities.

Asked about the search for bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, and of the president's long-ago call for getting him "dead or alive," Bush said the search for bin Laden and his associates continues.

"We've got U.S. forces on the hunt for not only bin Laden but anybody who plots and plans with bin Laden," Bush said. "There are Afghan forces on the hunt. ... We've got Pakistan forces on the hunt."

Bush's entourage flew into the city from Bagram in a flock of heavily armed helicopters. Two door gunners on a press helicopter fired off a short burst of machine gun fire as the aircraft flew low and fast over barren, rugged countryside. A U.S. military spokesman said later the gunners were test-firing their weapons as part of "standard operating procedure" for such helicopters.

"Neither President Bush nor any of the aircraft in the flight were ever in any danger," said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick.

Before leaving Afghanistan, Bush gave a pep talk to U.S. troops at the air base. Speaking to about 500 soldiers in a huge recreational tent, Bush expressed resolve at the U.S. mission here.

"I assure you this government of yours will not blink, we will not yield. ...The United States doesn't cut and run," Bush said to enthusiastic cheers and applause.

There are about 19,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a number Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said would be reduced to about 16,000 by summer.

At the ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony, Bush told U.S. embassy workers they were "on the front line of freedom's march."

Suspicion that al-Qaida and Taliban militants may be using Pakistan as base for launching terror strikes in Afghanistan has become a source of tension in relations with Afghanistan. More than two dozen suicide attacks in recent months have fueled Afghan suspicions.

Bush said that, when he is in Pakistan later this week, he will raise the issue of cross-border infiltrations with Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships struck a militant training camp earlier Wednesday in a tribal region on Pakistan near the Afghan border, killing or wounding at least 25 militants, an official said.

I hope we do get this SOB and make him pay dearly for everything he has ever done to us.

ROFLMAO!!!

Sure, we'll get him... I mean, the majority of forces are RIGHT where he's at, right? lol

I'm sorry but I hate Bush. He's an idiot and a liar, bad combination, especially for a president.

I hope we get him...but um, what makes him sooo confident now.....i think its stupid.. i mean, we can wire tape ppl, find out if someone is guilty of a crime that was commited 60 years ago, trace ppl...lol...and its taken this long to find some sick man who set up to destroy our country! ok!

a lot of the problem with finding him is that he rejects and isolates himself from 98 % of the modern technology and electronic traces we use to find people. That is why you never see DIRECT contact between he and the media, it's always through some tape and an "undisclosed location" and never released until months after it was actually filmed. Someone who still lives in the dark ages is hard to find when we are using modern technology to search. it's going to be a long process, but I do believe we will find him, and I sure the hell hope that whatever soldier is lucky enough to find him, puts a bullet in his head RIGHT THEN (I mean it would be nice to get some information out of him through interigation, but I doubt he would give up too much info. we don't already have) It's not worth the money nor the time to put him on trial for everything he has done.

:yeehaw very well put navyfiance!

I'm sorry but I hate Bush. He's an idiot and a liar, bad combination, especially for a president.


i hate him too

yah, I really dont see us catching him anytime soon....he has evaded us for this long, whats different now?

Well, the fact that we're slowly putting a financial stranglehold on him, burning his "safe houses" to the ground and methodically stalking his footsteps can only mean that, by the law of odds, we'll catch him. I don't see it happening soon, but when we do....

Well, you don't want him murdered on the spot. This makes him a martyr, who died for his beliefs. You think that doesn't make a powerful statement? We have federal holidays for MLK's birthday and Christmas. Those people died for/or because of, their beliefs. Killing Bin Laden will create such an uproar, it will take another 3,000 years to hear the end of it. Some Arab nations will honor him by making his birthday a holiday. Keeping his name on the tongues of those who want to see the west burn to the ground is NOT a way to ensure a free western civilization.

Let the man live. Let him rot in a cell, heckled by the very people he sought to destroy. Let him live in his own filth while invoking the single most thing Americans are ridiculously amazing at: Revenge.

Why do a huge majority of people say they hate Bush? Did America get over-run by Canada or something? Did he start selling American real-estate to private Lithuanian contractors? Has he implemented Martial law? I'm failing to see why he's hated?

Sure, he's not the greatest communicator. Sure, he doesn't appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.. And I can tell you honestly, that's exactly the way he wants it. If you think he's dumb, slow and a waste of skin, then so does someone else. A HUGE portion of the world hates the man for various reasons - and because of his "dumb" image, they think he's a pushover. EVERYTHING about the man is politics - including the way he'll draw you into thinking he's just a backwoods idiot - right up until he makes his move. You can't deny the fact that he's doing what he said he'd do. If we left the Middle east right now, it'd be a slaughter. I mean, MILLIONS would die. It would be WW2 all over again, only this time, all of that rage would be focused on us. He's not dumb. He's not slow. He's not stupid. He's a political genius who suckered everyone in with the "not-so-bright friend I know" approach.

Why do a huge majority of people say they hate Bush? Did America get over-run by Canada or something? Did he start selling American real-estate to private Lithuanian contractors? Has he implemented Martial law? I'm failing to see why he's hated?

Sure, he's not the greatest communicator. Sure, he doesn't appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.. And I can tell you honestly, that's exactly the way he wants it. If you think he's dumb, slow and a waste of skin, then so does someone else. A HUGE portion of the world hates the man for various reasons - and because of his "dumb" image, they think he's a pushover. EVERYTHING about the man is politics - including the way he'll draw you into thinking he's just a backwoods idiot - right up until he makes his move. You can't deny the fact that he's doing what he said he'd do. If we left the Middle east right now, it'd be a slaughter. I mean, MILLIONS would die. It would be WW2 all over again, only this time, all of that rage would be focused on us. He's not dumb. He's not slow. He's not stupid. He's a political genius who suckered everyone in with the "not-so-bright friend I know" approach.

I am so glad you asked this because I have often wondered this myself.

My first reaction was
"WTF!?!? So now after over 2,000 Americans have died that F#$@$ SOB Dick hole has the balls to say I'm confident we'll catch him. This war has been going on for about 5yrs. Why the F$@#@ couldn't we have caught him already if we claim to have the best armed services on the F$#$@% planet? I may be young, but I'm not stupid. There has to be more going on behind the scenes. Conspiracy? Probably."

I believe the feelings of animosity come from many sources.
Femisists dislike him because of legislation that cuts things like domestic violence protection, family planning, aid for female small business owners, child care, and reproductive rights. Also his administration tried to pass legislation against Title IX which allows girls to get the same academic and athletic opportunities as boys.
Some dislike him because of the image of being a dumb redneck that he has. It does not exactly pull in confidence.
Workers may not like him because of outsourcing and the failure to create many new jobs. He did create some, but not nearly enough.
Then there's the fact that he drove the country back into a federal deficit after Clinton's federal surplus.
Environmentalists don't like him because of allowing snowmobiles in protected forests, easing some restrictions on logging, raising the cap on emissions, and attempting to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge (fortunately the refuge was saved) among other things.
Human rights activists might not like him because of his failure to do anything about the mass genocide in Darfur in the Sudan.
Some feel as though he should have had a better plan of action when the current military involvment began.
People who are against guns don't much care for the idea of a Texan in office.
That's all I can think of right now.

have you seen his approval ratings?!? and those that do like him, IMHO, are the ones who have been suckered. and no, he is not a political genius, maybe cheney is, but he is downright evil. bush doesnt even read the newspaper.

You'll have to forgive my ignorance. I don't believe everything I see in a newspaper or watch on TV.

You'll have to forgive my ignorance. I don't believe everything I see in a newspaper or watch on TV.


where is it that you gather your information from? i do not believe everything i see on tv or read in the papers either? but i also dont believe a word i hear on fox news, and have this funny feeling you for the most part do

edited cuz well....I was suckered I guess :rolleyes Not in the mood to argue

I will say tho that I did go vote, I did vote for bush, I am happy for my vote, I am in individual, and no I actually wasn't suckered into liking bush

where is it that you gather your information from? i do not believe everything i see on tv or read in the papers either? but i also dont believe a word i hear on fox news, and have this funny feeling you for the most part do

He watches about 2 and a half hours of tv a week. Which consists of the history channel, simpsons, and malcom in the middle ;)

Why on earth has he decided to make a statement like that at this point in time? The situation has grown to more than capturing Bin Laden and this statement seems to have only suceeded in rattling people.

where is it that you gather your information from? i do not believe everything i see on tv or read in the papers either? but i also dont believe a word i hear on fox news, and have this funny feeling you for the most part do

I actually had to stiffle a giggle.

I've been playing "politics" my entire navy career, and if there's one thing an improv actor of 8 years can pick up on, it's an idiot trying to be smart and a smart person trying to be dumb. You don't rise to the top of the free world by being stupid. I draw my conclusions from knowing how people act, how people react, and how to read a "poker" face. He has a few tells, so his act isn't flawless - You can almost time his stuttering. When he stutters, he looks around nervously, EVERY SINGLE TIME. By reading a transcript of his speeches, you can TELL where he'd use a hand gesture. He walks perfectly erect, but generally slouches when he gives a speech.

All of these "traits" are exercises in the theatre. I've done "Of Mice and Men" quite a few times, with three different Lennie's. Every one of them could pass for G.W. Bush if they had the proper aesthetics.

Again, I don't watch TV. It's drab, repetitive dribble. I don't generally read a whole lot anymore, though I can still find my way around the Dewey Decimal system. But I DO know people. That man is not stupid, regardless of what anyone thinks.

And by calling people who vote for him gullible, you're making a sweeping accusation to a majority of the U.S. TWICE.

are you saying that becuase of your experience with the theatre you can read the president better than the leaders of several other nations who view him as the joke he is?

Nope, not at all.

I'm saying I can do it better than you did.

Specifically, I don't let other people influence my decisions. I make my decisions based on what I know and/or can deduce from what I've learned. <shrug>

well, I'm better than both of you put together! :P

well, I'm better than both of you put together! :P

:roflmao

Now that was out of left field...

I try not too get into political discussions but I have a few questions.

-If we had another person as President, do you honestly think they could have done better with what they were handed?

-President Bush is just a man, so when did everyone expect one man to be perfect?

-Where do you think the state of the world would be if we, as a country, did not involve ourselves so deeply in world affairs?

I don't always agree with the man but in my opinion with what I was handed, he was the best man for the job. Are there possibly better men that would have made better decisions? Sure. I am definately right wing rebublican but if a democratic member would've shown as a better leader, I would have voted for him.

-How many of you complain about what the military are getting paid, benefits, raises, housing and so much more?

Kerry was proposing a military pay cut in spending, including pay, spread over the next so many years. Voting for him, IMO, would've been biting my nose off to spite my face. If Bush is a pushover and a backwoods country idiot, then that's alot better than some of the womanizing, irresponsible, crooked Presidents we've had in the past.

-President Bush is just a man, so when did everyone expect one man to be perfect?

-Where do you think the state of the world would be if we, as a country, did not involve ourselves so deeply in world affairs?

Whilst I'm not getting into a long-winded debate about George Bush, I'm pretty sure similar quotes were made about Hitler back in the 1930s.. :dunno

Whilst I'm not getting into a long-winded debate about George Bush, I'm pretty sure similar quotes were made about Hitler back in the 1930s.. :dunno

How do you think he is anything like Hitler? I am curious to see your ideas about this.

How do you think he is anything like Hitler? I am curious to see your ideas about this.

As I said, I dont want to get into a heated debate - the last thing I want to do is get people rattled. I'm just saying that the quotes I picked out from Joy's post are things that were said about Hitler in the 1930s. Some people were against his actions in invading Poland and others thought he was doing the right thing. It's exactly the same with Bush now. The situation that caused WW2 was slightly different, but in essence Germany saw the Treaty of Versailles (a treaty brought about after WW1 that prevented Germany from having a military, saw trading ships handed over to the Allies and forced Germany to give up $33billion in damages and various territories across the globe) as unjust. Hitler made it his responsibility to defy all of the charges made on Germany through the treaty. In this way, I see marked similarities between Hitler and Bush and I understand why there are lots of people who follow him as well as lots of people who dont like what he's doing.

Zelda, I like you!

I would like to add to the statement about Hitler. I am not sure how many people know this, but the Nazi party actually came to power through a Democratic process. Over the period of a few years, the Nazi party gained more and more seats in the Reichstag. Also, Hitler was peacefully chosen as the German chancellor.
This is why I am of the opinion that just because the majority of the people vote for a person, does not necessarily make the person the best choice. If we look at the country from an economic standpoint, we are actually a little worse off than before. We have returned to a federal defecit and have been outsourcing jobs. I am not sure of the amount of unemployed that we currently have, though. While I am all for tax cuts, I do not believe that tax cuts during a time of war are a good idea. The money has to come from somewhere.

Comparing the monumental evil of Hitler to the bungling, incompetence and banality that is George Bush II is simply ridiculous.

Trying to draw a comparison between Hitler and Bush only indicates a lack of understanding history, human nature and the character of either man.


There are legitimate reasons to dislike and oppose the President, but trying to cast him as an American Fuhrer is just silly.

It only cheapens and coarsens a debate when The Hitler Card is played. I think this news story has gone wonderfully from a discussion to the possibilities of a very interesting debate. But I won't debate the comparison of Bush to Hitler, comparison between the administration and the rise of fascism might be a better way to put it. Debating the actions of two men and their similarities don't really get to the issue. Obviously, some have an issue with the appearance of excessive control and rise of fascism with the President. That I am willing to debate. I will not put my President in the same shoes of that monster. Invading our privacy for the safety of the nation, I can handle, may not agree with but can handle. The inhumane treatement of millions? That isn't even a comparison.

I would just like to clarify that I only used the reference of Hitler rising to power as a way to demonstrate that:
A. Just because people vote for someone does not make it the best choice.
B. The choice of the majority is not always the best choice.

Using the analogy does indicate a knowledge of history. It is a history of political processes and human error. As a historian, just because one says something like "this reminds me of the 3rd Reich" it does not necessarily mean that it is indicating evils. It merely means that there are certain similarities. Studying history means not taking things at face value. One must be anylitical, read between the lines, and make a personal opinion based on artifacts given while drawing analogies from knowledge of similar happenings. When one says "Bush is like Hitler" do not automatically assume evil. Ask them what they mean by it. There may have been lines that were not looked between.

I would just like to clarify that I only used the reference of Hitler rising to power as a way to demonstrate that:
A. Just because people vote for someone does not make it the best choice.
B. The choice of the majority is not always the best choice.

Using the analogy does indicate a knowledge of history. It is a history of political processes and human error. As a historian, just because one says something like "this reminds me of the 3rd Reich" it does not necessarily mean that it is indicating evils. It merely means that there are certain similarities. Studying history means not taking things at face value. One must be anylitical, read between the lines, and make a personal opinion based on artifacts given while drawing analogies from knowledge of similar happenings. When one says "Bush is like Hitler" do not automatically assume evil. Ask them what they mean by it. There may have been lines that were not looked between.


I completely understand your clarification. I see"similarities" in some of the judgement issues that people have with Bush and his actions regarding terrorism and the middle east conflicts but as things go, the man, as our President can't seem to "win". He is blamed for being too docile, then when he does show a ounce of this country's power he is judged harshly again. In a democracy, as we have today, it would be near impossible to turn the excess of freedom we have now to the turmoil and dictatorship Germany faced years ago.

Bush may not be the prime example of a leader we are in need of today but like I posted before, he has done the best, imo, with what he was handed.

Comparing the monumental evil of Hitler to the bungling, incompetence and banality that is George Bush II is simply ridiculous.

Trying to draw a comparison between Hitler and Bush only indicates a lack of understanding history, human nature and the character of either man.


There are legitimate reasons to dislike and oppose the President, but trying to cast him as an American Fuhrer is just silly.

It only cheapens and coarsens a debate when The Hitler Card is played. I think this news story has gone wonderfully from a discussion to the possibilities of a very interesting debate. But I won't debate the comparison of Bush to Hitler, comparison between the administration and the rise of fascism might be a better way to put it. Debating the actions of two men and their similarities don't really get to the issue. Obviously, some have an issue with the appearance of excessive control and rise of fascism with the President. That I am willing to debate. I will not put my President in the same shoes of that monster. Invading our privacy for the safety of the nation, I can handle, may not agree with but can handle. The inhumane treatement of millions? That isn't even a comparison.

I did not at any point compare Bush's actions to the inhumane treatment of millions. I object to being called silly and rediculous and cheap - it's a debate and I was making a valid point. I have not once indicated that I think Bush is evil or stupid, I have only stated that as WW2 started many people in Germany thought that Hitler was doing the right thing, just as many people think Bush is doing the right thing now.

I personally dont think he has done the best with what he has been handed, but that is just my opinion - I would not call you rediculous for thinking otherwise.

To be fair, Jesus (Joshua) was persecuted for his beliefs and actions as well. It's safe to assume that the Romans probably wrote about this backwater troublemaker who was threatening to disrupt the order of the empire.

I did not at any point compare Bush's actions to the inhumane treatment of millions. I object to being called silly and rediculous and cheap - it's a debate and I was making a valid point. I have not once indicated that I think Bush is evil or stupid, I have only stated that as WW2 started many people in Germany thought that Hitler was doing the right thing, just as many people think Bush is doing the right thing now.

I personally dont think he has done the best with what he has been handed, but that is just my opinion - I would not call you rediculous for thinking otherwise.

I wasn't calling you out as an individual, silly, and ridiculous. The comparison that is used by many, IMO, is silly and ridiculous. Whenever, there is a leader that is handed a situation like Bush has been and they take decisive action, they are compared to Hitler and his dictatorship actions. It's old. Like you said, this is a debate, so I really hope you aren't taking what is being said personally. I am not debating the validity of your opinion, just the comparision that many have used against Bush.