Osama Bin Laden. Back. Kind of.
I start with this caveat, which is only mildly tin-foil hat (a decent fashion statement, that):
A Duke professor says he is doubtful about Thursday’s audiotape from Osama bin Laden.
Bruce Lawrence has just published Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden a book translating bin Laden’s writing. He is skeptical of Thursday’s message.
“It was like a voice from the grave,” Lawrence said.
He thinks bin Laden is dead and has doubts about the tape. Lawrence recently analyzed more than 20 complete speeches and interviews of the al Qaida leader for his book. He says the new message is missing several key elements.
“There’s nothing in this from the Koran. He’s, by his own standards, a faithful Muslim,” Lawrence said. “He quotes scripture in defense of his actions. There’s no quotation from the Koran in the excerpts we got, no reference to specific events, no reference to past atrocities.”
While the CIA confirms the voice on the tape is bin Laden’s, Lawrence questions when it was recorded. He says the timing of its release could be to divert attention from last week’s U.S. air strike in Pakistan. The strike targeted bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, and killed four leading al Qaeda figures along with civilians.
Lawrence believes faulty Pakistani intelligence led to the strike and the civilian deaths, and the tape was leaked by Pakistani authorities to divert attention from their mistake.
“It led to a failed military operation where America got blamed, but they people who are really to blame are the ones who provided the intelligence,” Lawrence said. “I think this is an effort to say were not going look at this terrible incident that happened.”
Another element that Lawrence takes issue with in bin Laden’s latest message is its length – – only 10 minutes. Previously, the shortest was 18 minutes.
And after I toss up that as a caveat, I ponder the meaning of:
HANNITY: It’s more than that. I think it’s also the leaders in the Democratic Party that, from the very beginning, have undermined this war. If I were to give you a quiz, Mr. Speaker, and if I would say to you, “You know, was it [Sen.] Ted Kennedy [D-MA], [House Democratic Leader] Nancy Pelosi [D-CA], [Rep.] John Murtha [D-PA] who said, ‘George Bush gives continuous, deliberate misinformation. Polls reveal that we want to withdraw from Iraq.’ ” You would have guessed either of — any of those. Well, it was bin Laden who said that.
Hm. George Bush gives continuous, deliberate misinformation. Polls reveal that we want to withdraw from Iraq. Those are the controversial things that Osama Bin Laden said that Sean Hannity (shown on the sidebar with robotic arms in a futuristic visage, for what it’s worth) would have as unacceptable conversation talk? Can we no longer cite polling information if it hampers the president, cloaked in the robe of “Commander in Chief” though he may be?
The “more than that” Hannity refers to is the guest, um… Former House Ethics King (?) Newt Gingrich, regarding Michael Moore. This is a line of thought that has permeated the entire post-Osama tape discussion on the Idiot Box, from right-wing to numb-minding conventional wisdom (I’m looking in Chris Matthew’s direction.)
The basic problem is a reversal on a question that Trent Lott once asked when some Democrats somewhere or other poked about with questions on why we’re going to Iraq: “Who’s the enemy here: George W Bush or Saddam Hussein?”
Who’s the enemy here: Osama Bin Laden or Michael Moore? Would you rather fight a, quote-in-quote “War on Terrorism” (permeate it anyway you want, but assume that it’s successful conclusion would mean the popular-support and financial and bankruptcy of terrorist groups seeking the destruction of America and a Holy “Islamo-Fascist” middle East), or a cultural war against groups of Americans with a different political vision for America than you?
Bush, March 13, 2002: So I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you.
A bit after the disappointment in Tora Bora…
If I want to snidely work my way to the Democrats, it’d be that they too are considering Cultural War matters in deference to Military Matters. John Murtha, I would think, would be the most amiable choice in giving the Democratic Response to Bush’s “State of the Union” speech (which will have some echoes of “either with me or with Osama” layered into it), they select newly elected Virginia Governor Tim Kaine — a political decision seemingly based on Kaine’s liberal use of Jesus and faith references.