Republicans would not have authorized the mission to kill bin Laden

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cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
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Just to make sure everyone knows what was said and in what context:

"When I aThursday, August 2, 2007


Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama issued a pointed warning yesterday to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, saying that as president he would be prepared to order U.S. troops into that country unilaterally if it failed to act on its own against Islamic extremists.

When I am president, we will wage the war that has to be won," he told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center in the District. He added, "The first step must be to get off the wrong battlefield in Iraq and take the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

"There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans," he said. "They are plotting to strike again. . . . If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, called Obama's threat misguided. "The way to deal with it is not to announce it, but to do it," Biden said at the National Press Club. "The last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan that we are about to violate their sovereignty."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101233.html


LIZ SIDOTI: "Why haven't we caught bin Laden in your opinion?"

GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY: "I think, I wouldn't want to over-concentrate on Bin Laden. He's one of many, many people who are involved in this global Jihadist effort. He's by no means the only leader. It's a very diverse group – Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood and of course different names throughout the world. It's not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person. It is worth fashioning and executing an effective strategy to defeat global, violent Jihad and I have a plan for doing that."

SIDOTI: "But would the world be safer if bin laden were caught?"

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "Yes, but by a small percentage increase – a very insignificant increase in safety by virtue of replacing bin Laden with someone else. Zarqawi – we celebrated the killing of Zarqawi, but he was quickly replaced. Global Jihad is not an effort that is being populated by a handful or even a football stadium full of people. It is – it involves millions of people and is going to require a far more comprehensive strategy than a targeted approach for bin laden or a few of his associates."

SIDOTI: "Do you fault the administration for not catching him though? I mean, they've had quite a few years going after him."

GOVERNOR ROMNEY: "There are many things that have not been done perfectly in any conduct of war. In the Second World War, we paratroopered in our troops further than they were supposed to be from the beaches. We landed in places on the beaches that weren't anticipated. Do I fault Eisenhower? No, he won. And I'm nowhere near as consumed with bin Laden as I am concerned about global Jihadist efforts."
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/deanbarnett/2007/05/01/mitt_and_osama/print

The Obama team is purposefully misrepresenting Romney's position.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
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Just to make sure everyone knows what was said and in what context:

The Obama team is purposefully misrepresenting Romney's position.

Mitt-Romney-Etch-A-Sketch-001.jpg


\shakeshakeshake... *duh*duh*duh*duh*da* shakeshakeshake...*duh*duh*duh*duh*da* shake your Romney... shake your Romney!
 
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Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
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Just to make sure everyone knows what was said and in what context:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101233.html



http://townhall.com/tipsheet/deanbarnett/2007/05/01/mitt_and_osama/print

The Obama team is purposefully misrepresenting Romney's position.

I guess I'm not exactly seeing the misrepresentation. Romney pretty clearly said he wasn't as focused on getting bin Laden as he was on going after terrorist groups as a whole. Nothing wrong with that, but his position was clearly not bin Laden focused. Obama also specifically said he'd unilaterally order troops into Pakistan if he had to...which he did. Both of those quotes seem accurately represented to me.

That said, I don't think Republicans would have made a different choice to take out bin Laden if presented with one. The question, that we don't have an answer to and likely never will, is how much GETTING the opportunity to take bin Laden out had to do with Obama's policies and how much was just him being in a position to take advantage of an opportunity that would have come up anyways.
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
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It is in the thread title:

Republicans would not have authorized the mission to kill bin Laden
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
126
It is in the thread title:

Republicans would not have authorized the mission to kill bin Laden

They wouldn't have done so.... it would take away the "boogeyman" threat....

\OBL hiding in Pakistan had been in mind for a long time...
 
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HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
35,963
27,642
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It is in the thread title:

Republicans would not have authorized the mission to kill bin Laden

Bin Laden was in Pakistan

Romney said he would not have gone into Pakistan, therefore the order would not have been given when Romney was told he we know where he is.

A few synapsis misfiring??
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
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Quote him saying it without a bunch of the words missing. Also ensure you include the context of his statement.
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
0
0
They wouldn't have done so.... it would take away the "boogeyman" threat....

\OBL hiding in Pakistan had been in mind for a long time...

He was suspected being there for a few years. It took a long time to prove it, as he was hidden away in an urban center and not in the hills and wilds as suspected.

We had to be sure, so they tailed people for years until they had so much evidence he was there that even Jimmy Carter would have OK'd the attack.

It was wise to wait, especially since we were confident he was not going anywhere. Better to wait and be right than to dash in and be wrong.
 

UberNeuman

Lifer
Nov 4, 1999
16,937
3,087
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Quote him saying it without a bunch of the words missing. Also ensure you include the context of his statement.

:D Reminds me of you misquoting President Clinton ages ago...

\how's that USDA home loan working out for you?
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
35,963
27,642
136
Quote him saying it without a bunch of the words missing. Also ensure you include the context of his statement.

I can't believe you are resorting to the Newt Gingrich defense
So let me say on the record, any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood

This is like english based algebra

Homer says "the moon is round"
Cyber says "i disagree with Homer"
Homer says "cyber says the moon is not round"
 

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
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Lack of quote means you did not quote him. Try again, this time actually supporting your position with facts.
 

Ninjahedge

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2005
4,149
1
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Under what international situation would you not have gone after Bin Laden? International situation when killing 3K Americans is OK?

You see, you just don't GET IT!

It is OK when 3000+ Americans are killed to beat the war drums and call for response.

It just isn't OK to actually beat the man responsible. W/o him you have no reason to keep beating (off) the drums...
 

nextJin

Golden Member
Apr 16, 2009
1,848
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This is a ridiculous argument, anyone would have went in to get him the Republicans would have just invaded Pakistan instead. You know, just to make sure.
 

Atreus21

Lifer
Aug 21, 2007
12,007
572
126
Based on your guess, wish or what they actually said?

Based on common sense and what a SEAL said. It'd be a no brainer. He's there for the taking.

Didn't Clinton have multiple shots at Bin Laden too?
 

xBiffx

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2011
8,232
2
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This thread is absolutely hilarious. Obama fanboys have to keep cheering and backing up their man with the only thing in his record that he thinks he can run on. Everything else is a disaster but this one time he said "GO" makes up for all the other shit. Even the Seals are giving him shit for turning this into political hay. He did nothing, I repeat nothing, more than any other sitting President would have done given the same opportunity.

But go ahead liberals. Paint republicans as somehow pacifists in this regard who would have sat back and let OBL get away. Do you have any idea how dumb you sound saying that? On one hand, they are all warmongering criminals but on the other hand they are pacifist toadstools. Are you kidding me? I also love painting all republicans with a wide brush drawn from a misquote of one RINO. This has to be one of the biggest fail threads by Homer yet. But I can't blame you, you are following your master's orders and you actually believe that he can run on his record in November.

What a joke.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
85
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Based on common sense and what a SEAL said. It'd be a no brainer. He's there for the taking.

Didn't Clinton have multiple shots at Bin Laden too?

Serving and former US Navy SEALs have slammed President Barack Obama for taking the credit for killing Osama bin Laden and accused him of using Special Forces operators as ‘ammunition’ for his re-election campaign.

The SEALs spoke out to MailOnline after the Obama campaign released an ad entitled ‘One Chance’.

[..]

Ryan Zinke, a former Commander in the US Navy who spent 23 years as a SEAL and led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit, said: ‘The decision was a no brainer. I applaud him for making it but I would not overly pat myself on the back for making the right call.

‘I think every president would have done the same. He is justified in saying it was his decision but the preparation, the sacrifice – it was a broader team effort.’

Mr Zinke, who is now a Republican state senator in Montana, added that MR Obama was exploiting bin Laden’s death for his re-election bid. ‘The President and his administration are positioning him as a war president using the SEALs as ammunition. It was predictable.’

[...]

A serving SEAL Team member said: ‘Obama wasn’t in the field, at risk, carrying a gun. As president, at every turn he should be thanking the guys who put their lives on the line to do this. He does so in his official speeches because he speechwriters are smart.

‘But the more he tries to take the credit for it, the more the ground operators are saying, “Come on, man!” It really didn’t matter who was president. At the end of the day, they were going to go.’

Chris Kyle, a former SEAL sniper with 160 confirmed and another 95 unconfirmed kills to his credit, said: ‘The operation itself was great and the nation felt immense pride. It was great that we did it.

‘But bin Laden was just a figurehead. The war on terror continues. Taking him out didn’t really change anything as far as the war on terror is concerned and using it as a political attack is a cheap shot.

‘In years to come there is going to be information that will come out that Obama was not the man who made the call. He can say he did and the people who really know what happened are inside the Pentagon, are in the military and the military isn’t allowed to speak out against the commander- in-chief so his secret is safe.’



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...edit-bin-Laden-killing-election-campaign.html

And yes, Clinton had the opportunity to kill Bin Laden. By 1998, the U.S. knew he had been responsible for terrorist act had tried him in abstentia for the first WTC bombing. The WTC bombing was followed by the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa.

“We will use all the means at our disposal to bring those responsible to justice, no matter what or how long it takes.” - Bill Clinton, 1998.

The CIA knew with reasonable certainty where Bin Laden was. The white house at the time wanted him alive. Of course capture was too risky, especially with the Lewinski scandal and an upcoming election.

So really the OP should edit his title and say "not all presidents would have wanted to authorize a mission to kill Bin Laden."
 
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FerrelGeek

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2009
4,670
271
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==Snip==

The CIA knew with reasonable certainty where Bin Laden was. The white house at the time wanted him alive. Of course capture was too risky, especially with the Lewinski scandal and an upcoming election.

So really the OP should edit his title and say "not all presidents would have authorized the mission to kill Bin Laden."

But the OP is a partisan hack, so he'd never do that.

The whole notion of this thread is utter fail. The SEAL's are correct. Obama is behaving like a grandstanding a$$, even some D's are implying that. Obama was pulled off of the golf course to make the decision. All he did was give the ok to go. Yes, it was the correct decision and I'm glad he made it, but so what? Obama should be celebrating the team that ran the mission, not himself. Completely classless.