Just as US conservative commentators had confidently began a disinformation campaign that Osama Bin Laden had bitten the metaphorical bullet, everyone’s favourite international terrorist reared his valuable head above the parapet, with a lengthy voice recording.
The message was delivered, as it now accepted protocol, by the Qatar-based news agency al-Jazeera. Both the al-Jazeera and the US intelligence community believe the recording to be authentic.
Bin Laden in effect offered the Americans a way out of their current conflict, much like he did (to the Europeans) prior to the Madrid rail bombings. He addresses the American publice directly: -
My message to you is about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and how it can be ended. I did not intend to speak to you about this, because we already know how this war should end …
But I spoke to you because your president is continuously misinterpreting public opinion polls which show that the vast majority of you support the withdrawal of your forces from Iraq. But he disagreed with this desire and said the withdrawal of troops will give the wrong message to the enemy, and that it is better to fight them on their ground than on our ground.
Now it seems to me Bin Laden is either being very contrived, and is actually addressing his own base, or he has very much overplayed his hand. Addressing the American people directly and offering them a way to wimp out of the fight, is hardly going to be well received. Even government-hating sandal wearing lefties are hardly going to jump at the chance for a truce with the Grand-Ayatollah of the Covenant of Islamic Fascists.
What Bin Laden has done is give the Pro-War Right an excuse to claim he’s running out of steam and is looking for breathing space. However Bin Laden’s communiqué was not all flowers and chocolates either: -
And from another point, the mujahideen have been able, with the will of God, to overcome all security measures that the forces have taken, and the result of this is what you have seen in the explosions in major European capitals …
And our delay on similar attacks in the US is not because we could not penetrate security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your houses as soon as they are completed.
Hmmm. So it’s a case of “hi, Bin Laden here; look all this bickering and bloodshed is getting us nowhere, lets all just go home. Of course if you don’t wanna be friends, then I’ll be obliterating your ass.” If we’re honest, Bin Laden we know, is addressing his base. Following the ill-received bombing of a wedding in Jordan, Al Qaida popularity took a bit of hit in the Middle East, and they have wheeled out their Ronald McDonald character for a wee bit of PR.
It’s just good marketing after all.
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Tyger, your headline is misleading, OBL offers no such thing. As you go on to correctly conclude, the truce offer is OBL reminding his fans that he´s peaceful but the Yanks won´t listen, and telling America that he´s still a dangerous terorist planning to attack them at home, so carry on giving Bush carte blanche to continue the war.
Apart from the fact that Bush needs reasons to continue the war, not to stop it (to keep funnelling zillions of American tax dollars into the pockets of his corporate bank rollers, as OBL himself commented) he is actually spot on to reject the truce. The you-leave-us-alone-and-we´ll-leave-you-alone offer is nothing short of American retreat and AQ victory. Driving the US from Islamic land, forcing America out of the middle-east oil they have sacrficed so much to control, and in effect tying the hands of the next generation by forcing them to adhere to peace treaty which is not particularly in their interests. Bush can do what he likes, he doesn´t need to win reelection, and none of his close team are likely to stand, so whoever is next in the White House will be able to present a reasonably clean slate, even if the Republicans hold on.
Even if OBL and AQ stay loyal to the truce, they – or similar groups – are certain to fall into the hands of young pups who learned the lesson that America can be defeated if you just keep killing enough innocent people.
On this one, old man Cheney and Little Bush got it right – and OBL did too, despite it´s initial clumsy appearance.