Where's bin Laden

Safely ensconced in Pakistan.

Kevin Whitelaw writes for U.S. News: "When President Bush talks about Osama bin Laden these days, it's usually to rally support for the U.S. effort in Iraq. Last month, he told an audience that bin Laden and his al Qaeda network 'have made it clear they want to drive us from Iraq to establish safe haven in order to launch further attacks.' But over the past year, U.S. intelligence agencies have completely revised their assessment of al Qaeda and reached an alarming conclusion: Bin Laden already has a safe haven-in Pakistan-and may be stronger than ever. . . .

"Privately, U.S. officials concede that they had overestimated the damage they had inflicted on al Qaeda's network. . . .

"Iraq has, of course, been an undeniable boon for al Qaeda, both as a battleground and a rallying cause. But when it comes to exporting terrorism, U.S. intelligence is more worried today about the badlands of western Pakistan. That's where bin Laden has succeeded in reconstituting a safe haven after several years on the run."

This hardly constitutes news, of course. That it somehow seems so, nearly six years after the murders in New York City and The Pentagon, surely illustrates the failures of this administration. The leader of the gang responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 Americans on our soil is still free and apparently stronger than ever.

Kind of difficult to blame that one on George Soros.