Because of my stomach flu, all I could do was roll over and think “him, again!” when I first heard this morning that Binny’s back and he’s shaking his finger. Frankly, when I finally got around to reading the entire transcript translated by the AP, I actually almost smiled. This dude really sounds like a politician “runnin’ scared.” He can’t believe that his invoking American polls and sticking his nose in our politics is anything but good for Bush. He has to have other intentions. Gerard van der Leun, witty as always, says Osama is tossing his hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination, but if so the wannabe Caliph ought to pay close attention to Hillary’s move to the center. (How about “Bin Laden gets tough on terror”? There’s a good campaign approach. Follows right in Chirac’s footsteps. Everybody’s doing it.) Of course, what Binny is really doing, as he almost always is, is preaching to the Islamic choir. The boy may be somewhere in the mountains of Waziristan but his heart is in Riyadh, battling out family squabbles. Most of us don’t grow up, but particularly, and most murderously, Bin Laden.
Of course, the real proof that Osama’s “runnin’ scared” is that his threats aren’t even upping the terror level. [Maybe he's jealous of Ahmadinejad...-ed. I'd be. He's got nukes.]
You bring up an excellent point regarding the terror level. I think we need to see some current “Osama video” to be convinced he’s still around…
Osama? Alive? So much for Iranians Michael Ledeen trusts. Of course, why let the truth get in the way of a damning story? Before you know it, people will be saying that Ahmadinejad has nukes, even though that isn’t acually true. I think this happened before, and I am pretty sure it ended with us occupying a distinctly hostile middle eastern country. In the meantime, I look forward to Ledeen’s next story which probably involves Osama and Ahmadinejad having tea in their secret Bekka valley storehouse full of Saddam’s nukes.
I would be extremely cautious in dismissing the latest threats from the jihadi-in-chief.
Not because i think a plot is in process but because I do NOT believe that the security apparatus is capable of stopping a major plan should it be in existence.
With all respect to the CIA,FBI,NIA and what ever other alphabet organization is out there doing what it can, I don’t think we have any real ‘intel’ on the inner working of the network. We didn’t even know Bin Laden was in fact alive.
Someday, something, somewhere in the US is going to happen. It’s virtually inevitable. The state of the terror alert system is absolutely meaningless. It is IMO, a monumental waste of time and money to keep pointing at that useless splotch of color as if it had any real relationship to what may or may not be happening.
That is why if I were in the administration I would be saying constantly that the actions of the NYT’s and like minded ‘loyal’ opponents were hampering the fight to prevent a new 9/11. It’s both true and useful WHEN something happens. The first thing the ‘usual suspects’ will scream to all concerned is that “Bush failed to protect us even with all his illegal activities, and his immoral WARS”. This should not be facilitated by failing to point fingers where they legitimately can and should be pointed.
Defeating the ‘internal’ opposition is critical to defeating the ‘external’ opposition. Using Bin Ladens own statements is as good a place as any to start.
[Gathers kibbles & bits that used to be an A-list terrorist & says] “It’s just a flesh wound!”
Gotta love Reuters. From the Chirac article: Despite its strong opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, France remains a target for Islamist militants because of its intelligence links with the United States and Britain.
Couldn’t possibly have anything to do with that nasty little business in Algeria over the last half century. Never mind Algerian Islamists, or Islamic bombings in Paris during the 1980s and 1990s; it’s all about Bush and Blair and the Iraq war.
Who writes this merde? Why is Reuters still taken seriously as a news organization?
French Intelligence?
Paraphrase my spouse: It’s an oxymoron.
I expect there will be an Al-Qaeda attack on the US, but it’s not because Al-Qaeda smells victory in Iraq. It’s because A-Q is facing certain defeat (even part of Iraq’s Sunni population is turning on them) unless the US and its Coalition allies can be suckered into withdrawing before the Iraqi army is fully up and running. How better to manage this than getting the “bring our troops home now” types really hysterical.
A little something to make you laugh Roger, whilst you are eating your chicken soup Daily Kos Is A Mouthpiece For Kerry’s Campaign
Of course, the real proof that Osama’s “runnin’ scared” is that his threats aren’t even upping the terror level.
“Up” the terror threat level? The election’s over. “President” Tipsy McStagger could care less – in fact, he and his brownshirt handlers are begging for another attack. Maybe it’ll jack Tipsy’s poll numbers up above 40%.
And, of course, another several thousand dead Americans will give all the clueless pricks at Moronic Brownshirt Fucks Mediaô some new pictures to jerk off to…
Whoa whoa whoa! Back up a second! According to your post of October 18, 2004 (“The Man Who Wasn’t There”), the only person who believes Osama bin Laden lives is John Kerry. So either you have became a believer in the John Kerry world view or you are dead wrong (excuse the pun). Unless you somehow resurrected bin Laden a la Lazarus, which would require some real explainin’. So which is it?