CIA Director Porter Goss surprised nearly everyone the other day when he said in a magazine interview that the agency has an “excellent idea” where Osama bin Laden is hiding out, but that U.S. respect for sovereign nations has made the capture of the al-Qaeda leader more difficult.
Perhaps that’s why catching bin Laden – architect of the Sept. 11 attacks – seems to have fallen to the bottom of the priority list. We wonder which sovereign nation would harbor the man responsible for Sept. 11 as well as previous incidents of terror. And where is the presidential bluster about harboring terrorists?
Goss wouldn’t say where he thinks bin Laden is hiding. There long has been speculation that he is somewhere along the rugged Afghanistan-Pakistan border. More recently, there has been talk that the al-Qaeda chief might be living the high life in Iran.
Last week, outgoing U.S. ambassador to Kabul Zalmay Khalilzad said he believed that bin Laden was not in Afghanistan, leaving many to assume Khalilzad meant he was in Pakistan. Khalilzad also accused Pakistan of failing to act against Taliban chiefs believed to be using Pakistan as a training ground for terrorists.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Monday he thinks Goss’ comment was simply an attempt by the Bush administration to divert attention from the costly and increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.
In his interview with Time magazine, Goss was asked about the hunt for bin Laden. “When you go to the question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you’re dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play,” Goss said. “We have to find a way to work in a conventional world in unconventional ways.” Asked whether that meant he knew where bin Laden was, Goss responded: “I have an excellent idea where he is. What’s the next question?”
How about: Why not go after him?
One interpretation of Goss’ remarks is that he was expressing frustration about dealing with Pakistan, a critical ally in the fight against terrorism. If bin Laden is in Iran, which is not a U.S. ally, the problems potentially become even greater. The White House moved quickly to do damage control, with spokesman Scott McClellan saying, “Director Goss was referring to the general area he’s believed to be in.” McClelland didn’t leave the question unanswered. “If we knew exactly where he was,” he said, “we would go get him.”
The task of bringing bin Laden to justice needs fresh effort and focus lest he try to launch more terrorist strikes against the United States and its allies.
