Although limited to a review of military operations eight years old, the report could also be read as a cautionary note for those resisting an increased troop presence there now.
More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks.
“Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat,” the report says. “But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism.”
Actually, I agree, but not in the sense that this report is talking.
I’ve said numerous times on this blog, and in private conversations, that I think the worst thing that could’ve happened would have been to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Doing so would, essentially, be the start of “Al Qaeda Idol” and every two-bit piece of garbage with a bomb on his waist would try to become the new leader of Al Qaeda and demonstrate their strength by carrying out more and more horrific attacks on Western targets to “prove” themselves.
Would it have been nice, symbolically, to catch Bin Laden? Probably, but I don’t think the practical implications of having him in custody or killing him outweigh the chaos it would’ve caused if he was. Considering what the United States has foiled inside its own borders since 9/11/01, I’d say Bin Laden was losing his touch and couldn’t quite get things done the way he used to, or if he wasn’t planning the new stuff, the incompetents that replaced him aren’t doing as good a job as he was.
Aside from the symbolic, I don’t see how having Bin Laden or killing him would really do anything to make the world a safer place, and in fact, I think it would be worse in the long run.