AP: Bush 'Not Concerned' About Bin Laden in '02

[montana500]

Bush 'Not Concerned' About Bin Laden in '02

Thu Oct 14, 1:50 PM ET Top Stories - Los Angeles Times



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=1&u=/latimests/20041014/ts_latimes/bushnotconcernedaboutbinladenin02


By Maura Reynolds Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — Sen. John F. Kerry (news, bio, voting record) caught President Bush (news - web sites) off guard during their final debate Wednesday night, asserting that the president once said he was "not concerned" about hunting down Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).


In one of the testiest moments of the evening, Bush protested, "I don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. That's kind of one of those exaggerations."


But during a news conference at the White House on March 13, 2002, Bush said something close to what Kerry quoted. "I truly am not that concerned about him," the president said, according to the official White House transcript.


The exchange between Bush and Kerry came during rebuttals to the first question of the debate, when moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News asked Kerry whether the United States would regain the sense of security it had before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.


"Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked, 'Where's Osama bin Laden?' " Kerry said. "He said, 'I don't know. I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned.' We need a president who stays deadly focused on the real war on terror."


Bush's original comment came while U.S. forces in Afghanistan (news - web sites) were searching for the Al Qaeda leader, who had eluded joint American-Afghan military operations designed to find him.


"We haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is," Bush said during the 2002 news conference. "I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run.


"I was concerned about him when he had taken over a country," Bush continued. "I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban. But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became — we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his Al Qaeda killers anymore."

[Cha]

1. Hey, this is Amazing! The media

is actually reporting on this..with quotes and everything!

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. "one of those exaggerations"

chimp said it just like a crooked televangelist would have after somebody accused them of fraud or child molestation.

[Soup Bean]

3. Farenheit 911.

Bush should have had SOMEBODY watch it for him. That's one of Michael Moore's most powerful clips. Absolutely hilarious. Bush and Cheney are both second class liars. :)

[Nordic]

4. it's getting freeped in the ratings. RATE IT!

Pleeze ....!

[thecrow]

5. Done

Gave it a FIVE
( and you can, too! )

[shawmut]

7. done n/t

[Moderator]

6. montana500

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.

DU Moderator

[Kinkistyle]

8. Bush said something "similar"??

I think Kerry just about quoted what Bush said word-for-word. Stupid whore media.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

9. And while we're at it

We might as well rate up the next story too.

Halliburton's Interests Assisted by White House

WASHINGTON — Over the last four years, the Bush administration and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites)'s office have backed a series of measures favoring a drilling technique developed by Halliburton Co., Cheney's former employer.

The technology, known as hydraulic fracturing, boosts gas and oil production and generates $1.5 billion a year for the company, about one-fifth of its energy-related revenue. In recent years, Halliburton and other oil and gas firms have been fighting efforts to regulate the procedure under a statute that protects drinking water supplies.

<snip>

[peacetalksforall]

10. If Dems had power and if the story about bin Laden being in China is

true, the Dems would negotiate with China to get his release after the Dems win - similar to the Iran hostage release with Carter-Reagan. History shows that the Reagan people had the CIA and military working for them. One of the many blatant examples of a traditionally right wing intelligence and military.

Our citizenship was highjacked a long time ago when the right wing took over the FBI, CIA, military, and (probably) some other intelligence units.

Dem leaders are quite weak when it comes to coordinated efforts to counter the extremely coordinated efforts of the right wing.

Bush people are so vulnerable because of their alliance with the Saudi regime and their major support of the Sharon regime and Dem leaders don't speak up much.

[peacetalksforall]

11. I just realized how far I've gone in realizing that our true enemy is

within our own country. I am one sad citizen for what our own people have done to us.

[Killarney]

12. rated that a 5!

[sangh0]

13. "I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned"

That should be on the lips of every DUer.