John McCain: I Know How To Catch Bin Laden

With reporting by Rachel Weiner

Last week, John McCain proclaimed that he knew how to win wars. Today, he's taking it a step further, telling voters that he not only knows how to capture and bring to justice Osama bin Laden, but is going to do it.

Appearing on the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, the Arizona Republican was reminded that he had vowed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice and was asked how he would differ in that task from President Bush.

Initially saying that he would not "telegraph" the specifics, McCain declared, "Look, I know the area, I've been there, I know wars, I know how to win wars, and I know how to improve our capabilities so that we will capture Osama bin Laden -- or put it this way, bring him to justice... We will do it, I know how to do it."

Proclaiming that he will capture the elusive terrorist leader -- and knows how to do it -- is a fairly bold assertion and leads to the question: what information is McCain holding back from the Bush administration?

But the Senator has made broad foreign policy promises before. This past week he told a crowd in Albuquerque, New Mexico: "I know how to win wars. I know how to win wars... And if I'm elected President, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory, I know how to do that."

In today's CNN interview, McCain suggested that a Nuremberg Trial-style hearing for bin Laden would be appropriate upon his capture.

"We have various options. The Nuremberg Trials are certainly an example of the kind of tribunal that we could move forward with. I don't think we'd have any difficulty in devising an international -- internationally supported mechanism that would mete out justice. There's no problem there."

Early in the campaign, it should be noted, McCain went hard after Barack Obama for saying that Bin Laden should not be a "martyr." Obama also suggested Nuremburg as a model -- to which McCain replied that Obama didn't understand the reference.

Comments

[orianna]

So.... If I give you my vote.... will you tell me then?!

Or... is it not a form of treason to NOT tell us now?!

[Hendrix650]

This is a nice sound bite but McCame has to remember two things; one, you can't find this guy from either a wheelchair or walker and two, first you need to REMEMBER WHERE HE IS.

[JISantiago]

If McCain knows, as he claims, how to catch Osama bin Laden, then why not part his valuable knowledge and expertise to his good friend George Bush so we can bring this most wanted criminal to justice and bring an end to global terrorism. As a true patriot, doesn't McBush think it is his paromount duty to the nation and the world to do so? Or is it another of his hot air being blown out of Karl Rove's campaign pocket book?

[Whycee54]

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY.
McCain if you know so much and you don't do it, what good are you? What good have you been to the country you love so much over the past 7 years?

[baskar]

Exactly !!!!!!!!!

[scooperss]

Yeppers.

[KillgoreTrout43]

Ah yes, bin Laden. The GOP's favorite scarecrow. He gets resurrected from the grave for every election, major mistake by the GOP, or a GOP scandal of some sort. He's their best distraction from the real mess this country is in.
The GOP has screwed up royally, so their best defense is fear. Scare the crap out of the public, bring up 9/11 another nine hundred times and bingo, they are back on track.
P.T. Barnum was right, there's a sucker born every minute.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

WAR WAR WAR THAT'S ALL McBUSH IS ABOUT AND HERE'S WHY.

Like Boosh, McBush is a complete transparent fraud who built his career on his father's influence. McBush did not get into flight school based on his horrible performance in the Naval Academy, but because of his Admiral father's influence. Without his admission to flight school and subsequent capture by the Vietcong we would not even hear about McBush. McBush has built his political credentials on surviving and self promotion in the senate not succeeding. His whole Congressional career has been made by taking credit for other people's work. That's why he crossed the aisle so many times because Republicans knew he would not do the work. Democrats were glad to have him cosponsor bills for obvious reasons, even though McBush would never craft the vast majority of the legislation. McBush's whole career in Congress is based on his sanctimonious grandstanding. That's why he is so hated in his own party. McBush will simply do anything to be Commander-in-Chief because he was told when he was in the Navy and worse by his father that he did not have what it took to make Admiral, so he wants to command Admirals and Generals to prove his everyone wrong.

[Scarllatti]

Yeah, you stated the obvious facts. Those who are clamoring for a McCain's presidency (God forbid) should be able to "donate" their sons and daughters ( because I would have taken mine out of this country by then) for a DRAFT to be sacrificed on John McCain's promise of Armageddon (WAR! WAR!! WAR!!!! WAR!!!! WAR!!!!! WAR!!!!!!! WAR!!!!!!!!!!! WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!........................)

[oxford]

Just remember that for 4 generations his family business has been, and still is; WAR!!!

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

He is so clever that McSpongeBath...Wow all maverickey goodness inside of him...It's almost like he has a retirement home jello center inside.

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

I guess he is to sit a portable dialysis machine at the Iraq and Afghanistan border to lure him out.

[Scarllatti]

LOL, please forward to McCain's campaign headquarters immediately. Good intelligence piece of information.

[Bettysdad]

Right now, OBL is in Geneva having his nails done, chatting with a very senior CIA person.

[Crake]

That, or his corpse is in the freezer for the GOP November Surprise.

[noamjunior]

McCain's campaign has bordered on total incompetence, signaling that a McCain presidency would be a less effective version of the Bush administration. McCain's willingness to tell these fabrications on the campaign trail signify an ethical lapse on par with the Bush administration. McCain's fantasy land foreign policy may convince the 22% that still backs Bush, but a McCain presidency would be ruinous for America economically, and create new disasters abroad.

[Scarllatti]

If you thought Bush was a disaster, McCain will be HELL!!!

He is being propped up by the MSM (who assisted in giving us Bush, remember?) because they do not want to be "seen" as telling American people the truth. They prefer political correctness to doing their sacred duty to the citizenry.

That is where I love the BBC and the British press. They do not care whose ox is gored as long as they are doing their duty. Here in America, we pretend to be everything to everyone to our own detriment.

[Southrnbelle]

UH - then why hasn't he passed this information on to Bush and the Pentagon during the last 7 years??

[neocon666]

He just has to make sure that Bin Laden can be captured on a weekday, since McCain doesn't work on weekends; he's only held one campaign rally on a weekend, as pointed out by MSNBC.

[starboymikey]

"I know how to catch bin Laden, but if you don't elect me I won't tell you."

Sounds like he's threatening to withhold vital national security information if we vote against him. Might be nice if some reporter called him on this one, but I doubt it will happen.

[Diogenis]

Shhhh, McCain is planning on using a Falafel trap to catch Bin! Ouf, I can't believe anyone could possibly believe a word of what this man is saying.

[curmudgeon3]

How long has McCain been sitting on this information?

If he truly loved his country, wouldn't he have already shared this information with relevant authorities?

[curmudgeon3]

If that's the case, why hasn't he shared his strategies with the appropriate authorities already? Oh, that's right, we (or the Supremes) have to put him in the Oval Office first.

Does this bring back memories of the 1968 presidential campaign, when Richard Nixon spoke of having a secret plan to end U. S. involvement in Vietnam? He was elected, and with the conflict still raging in 1972, was re-elected.

Moral of the story: Make campaign promises, whether true or not, that tell people what they want to hear, but remember, they have a shorter attention span than the average gnat.

[JackND]

Yeah, he keeps announcing that he knows how to do these things, but then say s he can't divulge details.

How convenient...and prepostorous...and disgusting.