Who says "we" are going to give it free air time??? Certainly, there will be excerpts in the news but that's the principle of "knowing your enemy" at work. No Western nation is going to play the full stupid tape on radio or TV.
How does the Global Jihad benefit more then the war on Terror? War on Terror = tens of thousands of dead civilians. Westeren Jihad = hundreds of civilian deaths. The War on terror is the clear benefactor.
We are talking about public support for these movements, not total casualties. Bush benefits, since support for his policy is based on fear of a global terrorist network. Bin Laden benefits, since he's being defiant and eluding capture, thus strengthening his image as a world leader to be feared.
I find it kind of funny that whenever we have an election osama and company start releasing these videos. I have to wonder is that by design? If you look at who benefited from 911 and the terror resulting scare it is osama and company and the shrub in chief and his ilk. Without 911 I don't think a second term for shrub jr. would have been possible. Maybe osma and company think that the shrubs party is more to their liking? I have to wonder. They have been know to use these tactics to affect elections...it is not beyond their thinkiing.
I agree, however, the Average Iraqi for instance isn't affected by the Bin Laden tape. The average Iraqi is affected by George Bush's War on Terror. So what this Bin Laden tape does is guarantee that they'll continue to be occupied. The more he shows his face, the more bombs we'll drop on the middle east as a consequence. The war on terror is hands down the winner.
You act like the goal of Bush's war on terror is to kill as many people as possible. Even I don't believe that. Terrorism has always been asymmetrical warfare. The more people that do get killed as a result of Bush's policies only gathers more support for Bin Laden.
[ABC claims to have the transcript, and he criticizes the Democrats for not stopping the war in Iraq. I thought they said that he wanted us there. He says to the American people, "you made one of your greatest mistakes, in that you neither brought to account nor punished those who waged this war, not even the most violent of its murderers, [former Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld…" "You permitted Bush to complete his first term, and stranger still, chose him for a second term, which gave him a clear mandate from you -- with your full knowledge and consent -- to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then you claim to be innocent! The innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 11th -- were I to claim such a thing." Bin Laden says President Bush's words echo "neoconservatives like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Richard Perle." "People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there." Bin Laden is clearly a patsy, by him condeming the Democrats only strengthens George Bush
You don't understand. Bin Laden uses the same techniques as the Neo-Cons. They both exploit us through fear to push their authoritarian agenda. In this passage, Bin Laden is trying to justify murder of Americans, claiming that we are all liable for Bush's war.
"You permitted Bush to complete his first term, and stranger still, chose him for a second term, which gave him a clear mandate from you -- with your full knowledge and consent -- to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then you claim to be innocent! The innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 11th -- were I to claim such a thing." It works in many ways, like when saying all americans are murderers, this idea will be rejected instantly to save a little comfort what is left and that translates to unity to back up whom ever might be the president.
Sounds like he is saying there nneeds to be a shadow army of killers so as not to pinpoint a place of origin. They can kill at will and say 'who us, we didnt do nutin'
Marketing savvy? I'm not surprised that bin Laden is either ignorant of our congressional processes or else is choosing to overlook them in favor of political rhetoric: I suppose it would be easier to override a veto if you believed, as bin Laden seems to, that flying airplanes into buildings accomplishes anything worthwhile. We can only imagine the last words of Harry Reid as he smashes the airliner into George W. Bush and a pet goat: "Veto this!" Amazing, though, how well bin Laden learns from American politics. It seems he's learning how to pitch to the American people. From News Hour: More than anything, he's showing a fair understanding of American marketing tactics. It would be funny, I suppose, except for two things: the seriousness of the situation, and the likelihood that Americans will still miss the point. That latter is something that bin Laden either hasn't figured out or has chosen to ignore. We miss the point so regularly and conveniently as a culture that one might think it's deliberate and calculated.
Must we reduce everything to crass political calculations about points and winning and losing? This is a tape from a kooky, religious nut who wants to do harm to us. How it plays in the political arena means very little to me.
didn't a major american politition say we were going to capture this wack job dead or alive 6 years ago?
countezero: "This is a tape from a kooky, religious nut who wants to do harm to us. How it plays in the political arena means very little to me." We're all playing to the same crowd. If we can't find some words and make some catchy noise, they'll never play our tune again- and then the party's over for us.
If you ask me Bush II and Bin Laden have a symbiotic relationship...ps I have never voted for a shrub in my life! So don't blame me for the idoitic choice...if it was a choice?
