Nineteen months? Now, that’s funny. (reuters)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates did the Sunday show trifecta today, appearing on CBS, NBC and ABC to talk surge. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host David Gregory asked Clinton about a name you don’t hear much anymore — Osama bin Laden.
MR. GREGORY: Can a mission be accomplished without capturing Osama bin Laden?
SEC. CLINTON: Well, I really believe it’s important to capture and/or kill Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri, the others who are part of that leadership team. But, certainly, you can make enormous progress, absent that.
Gates admitted there really hasn’t been any good intel on bin Laden in “years.” He told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” that a recent story about a Taliban detainee claiming bin Laden was in Afghanistan was not confirmed.
“We don’t know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is,” Gates said. “If we did, we’d go get him.”
As Clinton laughed, Stephanopoulos asked how long it had been since anyone had a good bead on Osama. Gates said, “I think it’s been years.”
On Wednesday, Obama heads to Oslo to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize.
“President Obama ordered 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, but on an 18-month timetable. In a related story, the Taliban announced they are on a 19-month timetable.”
– Jay Leno
