you can also google "george bush not worried about bin laden"...so i wonder, i guess it just depends on what george bush says that day...if you're supposed to be afraid of goldstein or not...and no, i disliked kerry just as much...and i didn't vote for him...
http://www.issues2000.org/Archive/Bu...ar_+_Peace.htm
Does Bush Care About Osama Bin Laden?
In 2001, George W. Bush said that he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." In 2002 Bush said "I truly am not that concerned about him." During the third debate with John Kerry, when that second comment was brought up, Bush said "I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations."
...the full context of Bush's second comment where he expressed his opinion that bin Laden had become irrelevant:
Q But don't you believe that the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead or alive?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.
But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money.
And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.
We can see that this isn't a mistaken comment but, rather, part of a coherent position: Bin Laden doesn't have a government that can help him or as large of a support network, so we just aren't going to worry too much about him anymore. We don't completely ignore him, of course, and we still hope to catch him â?? but he's also not going to be the focus of our anti-terrorism, efforts, either.
Agree or disagree with it, that was his position on March 13, 2002 during a press conference where he justified the build-up to the war on Iraq.
Now, here is the transcript from the third debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry:
KERRY: Yes. When the president had an opportunity to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, he took his focus off of them, outsourced the job to Afghan warlords, and Osama bin Laden escaped.
Six months after he said Osama bin Laden must be caught dead or alive, this president was asked, "Where is Osama bin Laden?" He said, "I don't know. I don't really think about him very much. I'm not that concerned."
We need a president who stays deadly focused on the real war on terror.
SCHIEFFER: Mr. President?
BUSH: Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations.
