Calling off the dogs

Troops Hunting Al Qaeda Members Withdrawn

Associated Press
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page A28

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 27 -- The Pakistani army announced Saturday that it would withdraw hundreds of troops from a tense tribal region near Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden and his top deputy were believed to be hiding. (From the Washington Post).

Once again, the Bushman heels in his hunting dogs, and OBL slips away over the mountains. So much for his remarks during the debates:
BUSH: I don't think I ever said I'm not worried about bin Laden. That's kind of one of those exaggerations. Of course we're worried about bin Laden. We're on the hunt after bin Laden. We're using every asset at our disposal to get bin Laden (italics mine).

Of course, you really can't blame the Pakistanis; they have devoted several thousand troops to the seach for al Qaeda suspects for some time and in very hostile territory. Not that a hoard of heavily armed soldiers can easily flush out well-hidden revolutionaries in their home turf, but they were trying, they did find some dudes, but now they're tired, they want to go home, and OBL is probably wintering in Cap Sur, anyhow.

Personally, I have thought from the beginning that we should have sent cops after OBL. Real ones. Maybe Massachussetts state troopers. The big ones. Soldiers (even if they do dress like ninjas) are all well and good when you get the bastard backed into a box canyon, hell, a couple of good dogs could take care of that job, but first we gotta find the perp and for that we need a Mickey Spillane or a Spencer and his buddy Hawk; hell, we need Melvin Purvis! And he works cheap!

Of course, the downside to this is no Shock and Awe, just a Sock to the Jaw.