As usual, James Lileks adds much to the debate over the elections:
I am certain Bin Laden fears a Kerry presidency more than a Bush second term. He knows – and I think we all know this – that Kerry would summon in the military guys, and say “I want you to find bin Laden.”
Uh – sir, I don’t quite –
“I mean it. Find him. ”
You mean, find him? Why – such a thing has never been considered, sir; we’ve just been waiting for him to wander into camp looking for directions, or perhaps to use the bathroom. That whole Abu Ghraib thing – well as you no doubt know, we were just trying to provoke him to set his ol’ beard on fire and run screaming into camp waving a big-ass scimitar, and then we’d be like all Indy on him and pow! Pow! But it never worked out. We never even had a Plan B. Find him? You serious? This is so totally unexpected! You mean, actually go try and get him?
“That’s exactly what I mean. And I have a plan.”
Sir?
“I want you to go here –”
Where, exactly? Your hand is covering all of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan on the map –
“That’s right. I want you to go here, and I want you to look for him. And when you see him, get him. ”
Is that the plan, sir?
“No, there’s more. See this? I’ve drawn a blue line, making a wide new river to his exact position. Send the Navy.”
Uh – yes. Yes of course sir. Anything else, sir?
“Yes. Take this hat. If he’s invisible, you’ll see him – but only if you have the hat on. Now find him! ”