Missing Bin Laden (again)

Reports are that we missed another opportunity to get Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora.

One analyst said that "we are too slow and cautious" when it comes to mountingthese missions. By the time we mount up a big posse the bad guy has slipped away in a pass.

I agree. We are too slow and cumbersome to fight maverick mountain terrorists. We are in Afghanistan/Pakistan's "Hatfield and McCoy" territory over there--not big fighting areas like Iraq.

Duh! If we had an aerial Predator (unmanned aircraft) sending back views of a gathering of Al Qaida in Tora Bora -- and instead of using the missiles now attached to the newer Predators to hit that group of murderers -- they spent hours launching helicopters and troops from hundreds of miles away, then someone is dumber than dirt when it comes to getting the job done. By the time they got there, the bad guys had fled. We don't need a military version of Brownie after Katrina making these calls.

I hope the next time they get a view on a group of Al Qaida in the mountains they will act more like a bounty hunter instead of a slow military machine. Fire the Predator missiles THEN send in a helo to see what's left.

Unfortunately we have not had the strategic and creative thinking needed to deal with these complex issues in remote regions of the world, both politically and militarily. Bin Laden escaped Tora Bora the first time in 2001 when we were under Rumsfeld's crazy vision of using a platoon (or 10 boy scouts) to do what a division should. That helped bin laden escape Tora Bora in 2001 and to insurgents getting ammo from thousands of unguarded ammo dumps in Iraq after the invasion.

Now they are trying to use too many troops to nail bin laden on missions where the terrain and quickness is more important than numbers of troops flying in from remote bases.

Use the Predator next time guys, before we have a another attack on the U.S. and Europe. That's why we still need to be prepared.