February 11, 2003
RADIO KILLED THE VIDEO STAR:
'Bin Laden' Urges Suicide Attacks (CBS News, Feb. 11, 2003)A new audiotape apparently from Osama bin Laden calls on Muslims around the world to support Saddam Hussein in the looming war with the United States and urges suicide attacks against Americans."We stress the importance of suicide bombings against the enemy, these attacks that have scared Americans and Israelis like never before," he says on the tape, aired Tuesday by the al-Jazeera Arab satellite station.
To buck up the morale of Iraqis facing an onslaught by the world's most powerful military, he tells them not to fear America's laser-guided bombs which failed to kill him when he was trapped in the caves of Tora Bora.
"For more than two hours bombs were dropped on us, about 30 bombs," he says. "But the American forces did not dare storm our stronghold because they were cowards."
If bin Laden were alive there'd be a videotape, but it's amusing that whoever made the tape hasn't been reading the anti-war talking points about how al Qaeda and Iraq are mortal enemies. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 11, 2003 6:48 PM
Personally, I think he's dead, but if he's alive & has had plastic surgery there would be no video.
Posted by: Jed Roberts at February 11, 2003 7:52 PMWho does he look like now? John Kerry?
Posted by: oj at February 11, 2003 8:15 PMI still think Osama is the Generalissimo Francisco Franco for a new generation, although he does seem to get around about as much as the post-death Elvis.
Hey, maybe he's on Farrakhan's mothership!
I think he's dead also - we would have seen a video by now if he were alive.
I find it curious that right before the potential Iraq invasion OBL comes and names Iraq as his partner, putting more credence to the US goal of invading Iraq. CIA anyone?
Maybe bin Laden (or "bin Laden") wants
us to attack Iraq, and therefore elides over what used to be a secular-fanatic divide.
Or, of course, the audiotape was simply a coded message to al-Qaeda agents.
Posted by: Just John at February 12, 2003 12:46 PMJust John:
As was the assassination of Kurd leaders.
Paul:
Are you cribbing from Mo Dowd?
Just a thought. Even a broken clock is right twice a day . . .
It is possible that al-Qaeda judges the destruction of the Iraqi regime as salutary to their cause in that it further discredits the secular state in the minds of Arabs. I thought it noteworthy that "bin Laden" referred to Saddam's party, rightly, as "Communists" (it's more than the media will do: imagine their horror at acknowledging that yet another of the world's thugs is a commie!).
The Baathists were supposed to be part of the great modernist revolutionary movement, descended from the Jacobins, and destined to bring about the rationalist utopia of Collectivist Man.
Bin Laden, of course, prefers the Theocratic Man utopia. We don't like either heresy.
Paul:
Just as the destruction of Afghanistan worked to their benefit? A few more al Qaeda victories and bin Laden will go the way of Czsoglosz.