Does Bush really want bin Laden?

The CIA announced recently that the unit formed in the early 1990s to hunt for Osama bin Laden had been disbanded. The Bush administration no longer considers al-Qaida a hierarchical organization but instead many cells operating independently throughout the world. Therefore, the hunt for the person responsible for Sept. 11 was absorbed by a larger effort that looks at all jihadist organizations.Time seems to have softened President Bush's resolve. One has to wonder if he was ever serious about capturing bin Laden. There is the nagging question of not pressing coalition forces' advantage when bin Laden was cornered in the mountains of Tora Bora. Then, why start a second war against Iraq when the mission in Afghanistan was not completed? And now, why repeat the same rhetoric and preparation for war with Iran that preceded the war in Iraq?Until Bush accepts that U.S. occupation of Iraq detracts from the legitimacy of the elected government, the “stay the course” policy is doomed to failure. Too bad Bush can't see that being a facilitator might produce the results he seeks — being “occupier-in-chief” certainly has not. Nick Reina, Milmay - Published July 17, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press