Weinberger: Bin Laden ‘irrelevant’ Ex-defense chief says Saddam should be next

PORTLAND – More than two months of U.S. bombing and fighting by American-backed Afghan opposition forces have rendered Osama bin Laden nearly “irrelevant now,” former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger said.

Weinberger, who has a home on Mount Desert Island, said bin Laden’s ability to orchestrate mass murder has been sharply curtailed, but he acknowledged finding him would be wonderful for America’s collective psyche. He predicted that bin Laden, who is accused of sponsoring the Sept. 11 attacks, will be found. But he declined to estimate how long that may take.

“They’ll find him. But I think it becomes gradually less important because he no longer has the ability to control his terrorist network because part of it is gone and the government [the Taliban] that supports him is gone,” said Weinberger, who served as defense secretary under President Reagan from 1981 to 1987.

Last week, Weinberger was scheduled to meet with reporters and talk about world events during an event held by Gov. Angus King in Augusta. But his flight was delayed at Logan International Airport in Boston, and he was unable to attend the event.

On Monday, he conducted a series of interviews.

Weinberger, 84, is chairman of Forbes magazine and spends most of his time in Washington. He recently released a new book, an autobiography called “In the Arena: A Memoir of the 20th Century,” with writer Gretchen Roberts.

Looking toward the future, Weinberger said the United States needs to focus on removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power as part of its war on terror.

The approach should be the same one the United States and its allies have used in Afghanistan – find an opposition group that is “willing to be helped” and then offer support, he said.

He said he is unsure the job would require a “huge military force,” such as the United States sent into Iraq during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, but “one way or another” the United States needs to get rid of Saddam.