President Bush yesterday backed off the administration’s pledge to quickly release evidence against Osama bin Laden. He said doing so could “make the war more difficult to win.” Secretary of State General Colin Powell, standing at Bush’s side, sent an entirely different signal the day earlier, when he said the administration in the near future would be able to release a document that will describe clearly the evidence. The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan has said it would hand over Osama bin Laden if the U.S. presented credible evidence of his guilt. Other countries have also urged the U.S. to use legal mechanisms in its quest for justice rather than military force.