That thing in afghanistan

[Guest Vern Gagne]

The last week the media is barely mentioning what's going on in Afghanistan. Even though the U.S. has in custody the #3 Al Qaeda man in custody it's gotten very little attention. Will it take another Operation Anaconda to shift focus back to what the U.S. is doing.

[Guest gthureson]

Afghanistan and Al-Queada are old news.

 

Thats the way it goes in the media business.   Unless they can capture a media superstar, like Bin Laden, only major actions or American deaths will pop it onto the front pages.

 

Capturing the 'Number #3 Al-Queada guy' who nobody has heard of won't push it up the charts.  Not unless they were fed a blitz of information and White House press conferences comparing this guy to the Devil and Hitler rolled into one with a bad attitude.

 

The news is a money-making venture these days.  Unless it will pop the ratings, it won't lead.   And capturing somebody nobody has ever heard of won't pop the ratings.

 

Remember the old adage, 'If it bleeds, it leads.'

[Guest DrTom]

"Will it take another Operation Anaconda to shift focus back to what the U.S. is doing."

 

No, but they'll need to make a bigger splash than capturing some semi-important Taliban lackey.  Big explosions, American deaths, and either bin Laden or Mullah Muhammed Omar getting captured/killed would return the war to the news.  We've been status quo for a while now, and that's too boring for the news stations to do anything with.

[Guest]

How on earth does it matter whether or not it's in the news? I'm pretty sure the Pentagon's funding isn't dependent on TV ratings.

[Guest J*ingus]

"Sir, our quarter-hour segments have dropped severely.  Shall I order a Shocking Swerve for the near future?"

[Guest RhynoesRUs]

Shhh.  America is trying to get back to the dreamland we call "normal".

[Guest hardyz1]

Afghani-who???

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

i'm glad i don't have to hear about the latest stuff in afghanastan every night. i'm waiting for a day where i don't have to hear the phrase "war on Terrisom"

[Guest redbaron51]

Was that the monument that was in Afghanistan a few years back and the Taliban blew it up.

 

Afghanistan, former homes of Alexander, Ghengis Kahn, Persians, Britian, USSR, Taliban now USA

[Guest Zero_Cool]

Xero (heh) they blew up some 2000 year old Buddhist (sp?) statues.  The International community didn't like it.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

"Will it take another Operation Anaconda to shift focus back to what the U.S. is doing."

 

No, but they'll need to make a bigger splash than capturing some semi-important Taliban lackey.  Big explosions, American deaths, and either bin Laden or Mullah Muhammed Omar getting captured/killed would return the war to the news.  We've been status quo for a while now, and that's too boring for the news stations to do anything with.

I really don't think they captured a self important taliban lackey. It was common knowledge he was the third man in Al Qaeda before he was captured. He isn't Bin Laden, Omar, or Bin Laden's 2nd in command but he could give valuable information.

[Guest DrTom]

"I really don't think they captured a self important taliban lackey."

 

Neither do I, which is why I called him a semi-important Taliban lackey.  

 

"He isn't Bin Laden, Omar, or Bin Laden's 2nd in command but he could give valuable information."

 

How much do you think he's really going to say?  And if he refuses to talk, exactly what do you think the US Armed Forces would do about that?

[Guest J*ingus]

In this case, I would not be surprised if they resorted to torture, drugs, threatening to kill family members, or whatever.  Sure, they'd never admit to it if they did, and might not like doing it, but Osama is still out there somewhere, and that has to hurt a lot of important people's pride pretty badly.

[Guest Some Guy]

I don't think that the US armed forces would torture anybody, but I do think that thy would stand outside the door while the Pakistanis torture someone and take notes on what the guy has to say.  We are certainly not above this, but I think they wouldn't risk the political nightmare of getting caught for this when the Constitution expressly prohibits it.  If we try to execute a murderer the French and the anti-DP people get all up in arms, imagine if we tortured someone?  We'd never here the end of it.

[Guest TJH]

Of course they would use torture to find out needed information. In fact, if they didn't, they wouldn't be doing their job properly. The Geneva Convention is a load of crap, and no one cares about it at all.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

The U.S can just have another country torture him where it's nice and legal.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

how very moral of you