Why is Current Administration Holding Back on Existing Plans to get OBL Since late 2007?

Question

June 30, 2008

WASHINGTON – Late last year, top Bush administration officials decided to take a step they had long resisted. They drafted a secret plan to authorize the Pentagon's Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains of Pakistan to capture or kill top leaders of al-Qaeda.

Intelligence reports for more than a year had been streaming in about Osama bin Laden's terrorism network rebuilding in the Pakistani tribal areas, a problem that had been exacerbated by years of missteps in Washington and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad; sharp policy disagreements; and turf battles between U.S. counterterrorism agencies.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080630/news_1n30binladen.html

Answer 1

Must be the same reason the Clinton administration turned down the offer of getting him.

Answer 2

I think you pretty well answered your own question. The Pentagon has plans for all sorts of contingencies. In the 1930's there was even a plan for a naval war against Great Britain, despite their being our strongest ally. Having a plan in no way presupposes it's contemplated that it will be used.

Pakistan has been an ally in our operations, and invading an ally is not something we do willy-nilly.