more excuses

AOL News :

Bush Says Stopping bin Laden a 'Challenge'
Search for Terror Leader Faces Complications, Lack of Resources

WASHINGTON (March 3) - President Bush made rare mention of Osama bin Laden on Thursday, calling efforts to block the terrorist leader's hope of attacking America again "the greatest challenge of our day."

Bush insisted the so-far unsuccessful hunt for the al-Qaida founder is "keeping the pressure on."

The White House has sought to play down the significance of bin Laden to the global anti-terror battle, since the trail has gone cold on him more than three years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. As a result, Bush hardly ever utters the name of the man he once declared wanted "dead or alive" and repeatedly promised would be caught.

But bin Laden made the headlines again this week, as intelligence officials said that he has enlisted the help of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top al-Qaida figure in Iraq, to plan new attacks inside the United States.
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"We cannot afford to become complacent," Bush said. "As we adapt our defenses, the terrorists will adapt their tactics in response. ... They continue to pose a great threat to the American people."

Earlier Thursday, Bush spoke by phone with Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said they talked about the political process in moving from the Iraqi elections to the formation of a new government "and the importance of making sure that is an Iraqi process." In particular, McClellan said the leaders discussed "the need for Syria and Iran to stop interfering in internal Iraqi affairs."

Adding a new beef with Tehran to worries about Iran's nuclear program, McClellan said the Bush administration has "increasing concerns about Iran trying to influence the shape of the transitional government," McClellan said.

"This must be an Iraqi process, free from outside interference, particularly by those in the neighborhood," he said.

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Uh-Oh! Here comes bin Laden again! Guess its deflection from "Jeff Gannon" and SS and everything else that the administration is trying to get away with! It gets so obvious that it's just silly!
A "challenge", eh? I think that the challenge is making people believe that bush actually wants to capture bin Laden after all this time. He admits that he doesn't think about him - seems like it would be hard to plan the capture of someone that you don't even think about!
I also appreciate the part about the new Iraqi government should be "free from outside interference, particularly by those in the neighborhood"! I don't think they mind the US being a major influence, though!