Ambassador helped Osama

The Sun reported A lone U.S. ambassador compromised America’s hunt for Osama bin Laden in Pakistan for more than two years. Ambassador Nancy Powell, America’s representative in Pakistan, refused to allow the distribution in Pakistan of wanted posters, matchbooks, and other items advertising America’s $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Mr. bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders. Instead, thousands of matchbooks, posters, and other material — printed at taxpayer expense and translated into Urdu, Pashto, and other local languages — remained “impounded” on American Embassy grounds from 2002 to 2004, according to Rep. Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois.

While the American government was engaged in a number of “black” or covert intelligence activities to locate Al Qaeda leaders, Mr. Kirk said, the “white” or public efforts — which have succeeded in the past in leading to the capture of wanted terrorists — were effectively shut down in the months following the September 11 attacks. Mr. Kirk discovered Ms. Powell’s unusual order in January 2004 and, over the past year, launched a series of behind-the-scenes moves that culminated in a blunt conversation with President Bush aboard Air Force One, the removal of the ambassador, and congressional approval for reinvigorating the hunt for Mr. bin Laden.

Ace blogged The elected representatives of the United States decided to make capturing OBL a top priority, but an idiot bureaucrat who thought she knew better queered the whole deal. On this blog someone commented the bimbo still has a job at State. she should be supersizing the fries. the congressman who discovered the problem was clever and resourceful. he avoided publicity and did not shoot his mouth off in front of the cameras. he quietly put his case together and waited for a chance to present it to GWB. the american people were well-served..

The Big Trunk blogged I find this to be an almost unbelievable story -- a reductio ad absurdum of the State Department's occasional resistance to the administration's objectives. The ambassador at issue was a Bush appointee who was not a career diplomat. Moreover, Miniter reports no facts suggesting a motive for the ambassador's actions in this case. However, Miniter is a terrific reporter with excellent sources for this story. We would be most interested to hear from our State Department or foreign service readers with any knowledge of the case.

This is just one example of how our State Department ignored the wishes of the President when Powell was Secretary of State. I am glad that Condi is now in charge. I can't imagine this happening under her watch.