Kerry's Afghan Off Ramp

Another new Senate report is out, this one directly from the desk of John F Kerry. Here's how one media outlet is reporting on it:

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.

Yeah, in spades. This thing reads like a college report. Kerry quotes various popular books, including Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack", in an effort to set up a no-lose situation for Obama as he prepares to increase troops via his upcoming speech at West Point. Oh, and yes, to exact some juicy 20/20 hindsight revenge on Bush.

Short version for press usage (which this was solely designed for)--Bush let UBL escape at Tora Bora because he didn't want everyone thinking the war on terror was over had we killed him (which the report admits would not have been the case) and that allowed the war drums to keep rolling so we could remove Saddam Hussein (which Kerry voted for) and get his oil or something.

In other words, if the war goes badly from here forward it's all Bush's fault because he lost bin Laden. If the war goes well, then it's all on Obama. Does he really think this won't be transparent? Does he really think reporters won't do a little research? Does he really spend the public funds on such stuff?

Then again, the same media isn't currently reporting on the CRU global warming emails or the fact the White House party crashers had ties to a Palestinian advocacy group and have pretended Major Hasan was an unaffiliated nutcase. So maybe he has good reason to hope for the best.

MORE 11/29/09

A quick check of the major web papers on this story reveals that all but the New York Times and LA Times are featuring the report on the front page, with CBS and CNN using bin Laden pictures. Mission accomplished.

Meanwhile, one must venture across the pond to get this huge story:

Climategate: University of East Anglia U-turn in climate change row

AS PREDICTED.. 11/30/09

The Dems sent out some obscure Rep to get on TV and make the accusation. Notice Shuster's feigned outrage, as if other Dems haven't made exactly the same kind of claims over the years, including John Kerry himself. Nope, this was just their way to advance the story before tomorrows speech.

It would be nice to hear Kerry explain how grabbing bin Laden at Tora Bora would have captured Zawahiri, bin Laden's son, Mullah Omar, KSM, or various and sundry other radicals that weren't traveling in the UBL caravan. It certainly would have been a moral victory for our side, other than making him a martyr and all, but the bad guys were dispersed.

HERE'S SOMETHING..

from 2004, presumably written by a person in the Indian government:

Kerry's claims are partly true and partly incorrect. They are true to the extent that the US military did use Afghan warlords and Pakistani and Afghan narcotics barons, who know the topography of the Tora Bora area like the palm of their hands, to help it in its battle against Al Qaeda. The US narcotics control authorities were asked by the Pentagon not to take any action against the narcotics barons till bin Laden was caught and some Pakistani narcotics barons arrested before 9/11 under US pressure and jailed in Pakistan were got released by the Pentagon for being used in Tora Bora. I had referred to this many times in my past articles.

It would certainly make sense for the govt to be glossing over the narcotics angle of international terrorism because they are still doing it to this very day.