Op-Ed:McCain Holds The Key

    I love the game of chess. It is a game of thought and strategy. Any chess player will tell you, to capture the queen can almost certainly seal the victory. The pawns, rooks, bishops, and knights will take away key plays from your opponent; however, the queen will cripple their ability to make power moves from all angles of the board. For seven year we have sought the queen, and it has eluded us. The queen has eluded the United States of America and its allies in Afghanistan. Though we have cornered the king, Afghanistan; we have removed the rooks, knights, and bishops, al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders; but the queen has been oh so elusive. I am talking about Osama bin-Laden. He is the king maker. It was Osama bin-Laden that brought Afghanistan and the Taliban to prominence with his network of cash, weapons, and threats around the world.

            On September 11th, 2001, when al-Qaeda was at its Zenith and operating in full force, they struck the United States of America. They hit the nerve center of the land of freedom. The strikes nearly crippled America’s economic system, and forced a paralyzed nation to unity. Americans, and citizens of the world, continue to fear the queen and his evil sting. However, numerous operations and two wars have yet to topple this queen, and the king still remains a dangerous area to forces of the world.

            So you can imagine my shock when a U.S senator would say he knows how to capture the queen. This one man has held the blueprint all along, and he is not going to give it up. Not until you give him your votes and ascend him to the highest office in America. I am talking about none other than Senator John McCain. In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, when asked about his vow to catch Osama bin Laden, John McCain stated, "Well, I'm not gonna telegraph a lot of the things that I'm gonna do, because then it might compromise our ability to do so. But look, I know the area. I've been there. I know war. I know how to win wars. And I know how to improve our capabilities so that we will capture Osama bin Laden...I know how to do it."

            Is this what it has come down to? Seven years of war, thousands of dead Americans, countless threats of attacks, and this man withheld the key. Capturing this queen would no doubt have sent a message to networks all over, who seek to topple the United States of America; the very network that attacked Spain and London; the countless other networks that have been born out of this ideology. Capturing Osama bin Laden and brining him to justice would no doubt have shattered the morale of those who wish to strike fear and terror into the hearts of millions around the world. Capturing the queen could have pacified a region and led to a triumphant victory, instead of a ghost chase and thousands more killed. But, no, John McCain didn’t do that, he kept the key in his pocket until elections. Questions need to be asked here. Would John McCain rather win an election than win a war? Would he rather win an election than bring a brutal murderer to justice?

            For those that belief this is a smear, read the quote again, and then reread it. Senator McCain does not say, “I will try to get him.” He does not say, “I will give it my all.” No, he says “I know how to improve our capabilities to so that we will capture Osama bin Laden….I know how to do it.” My question is, why didn’t you share that information with President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, or the hundreds of thousands of troops who have served and given their blood in that country? Perhaps this was all a game of chess for him, and keeping the queen in his pocket was his strategy for President of the United States of America.