President Who?

Parting Gift?

There is one thing Bush could do for McCain -- and that's catch Osama bin Laden. Seven years after Bush famously called for bin Laden's capture, " dead or alive," the terrorist leader is not only still free, but according to the White House's own intelligence report, he and his al-Qaeda organization have benefited greatly from Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

Nabbing bin Laden just in time for McCain's convention speech would have been particularly sweet.

Well guess what? Sara A. Carter writes in the Washington Times: "U.S. ground forces crossed the border from Afghanistan and attacked suspected al Qaeda targets in Pakistan on Wednesday as part of an aggressive new strategy to kill or capture Osama bin Laden before President Bush leaves office, U.S. officials said. . . .

"'I know the hunt is on; they're pulling out all the stops,' said a Defense Department official with knowledge of the situation who asked not to be named. 'They are leaving no stone unturned. They want to find bin Laden before the president leaves office and ensure that al Qaeda will not attack the U.S. during the upcoming elections.' . . .

"A U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that 'finding bin Laden has always been a priority' and that targeting al Qaeda bases is based on actionable intelligence. However, he added that the November elections in the U.S. have renewed a sense of urgency to capture the terrorist leader. 'Any period of transition, like the upcoming election, can be seen as a potential vulnerability,' he said."

McCain himself seemed to blame Bush for not having captured bin Laden in an ABC News interview yesterday. Democratic nominee Barack Obama said in his convention speech last week: "You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." McCain responded yesterday: "[Former President] Clinton had opportunities to get Osama bin Laden. President Bush had opportunities to get Osama bin Laden. I know how to do it, and I'll do it."

Pir Zubair Shah, Eric Schmitt and Jane Perlez write in the New York Times: "Until now, allied forces in Afghanistan have occasionally carried out airstrikes and artillery attacks in the border region of Pakistan against militants hiding there, and American forces in 'hot pursuit' of militants have had some latitude to chase them across the border.

"But the commando raid by the American forces signaled what top American officials said could be the opening salvo in a much broader campaign by Special Operations forces against the Taliban and Al Qaeda inside Pakistan, a secret plan that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has been advocating for months within President Bush's war council. . . .

"There were conflicting reports about civilian casualties in the operation. American officials said one child had been killed in the strike; a Pakistani military spokesman said the American troops had opened fire on villagers, killing seven people. . . .

"One American official said that at least one child had been killed, and that several women who died in the attack were helping the Qaeda fighters. . . .

"A senior Pakistani official called the commando raid a 'cowboy action' and said it had failed to capture or kill any senior Qaeda or Taliban leaders.

"'If they had gotten anyone big, they would be bragging about it,' he said."