Friday June 30, 2006

I've Been Thinking:

The new "bin Laden tape" has several purposes:

Most important is to pay tribute to Zarqawi and proclaim him a hero.

Next in importance is to send out the message to al Qaeda adherents that Osama bin Laden is a major player in both sad times and in victorious times.

This tape is a bin Laden prop.
The tape portrays him as a great international Muslim leader who pays respect to the dead and appeals to the enemy - George Bush - in the name of honor for the dead and in order to console the family of an Islamic fighter.
Bin Laden actually asks the president of the United States to allow the body to be brought to Zarqawi's family in Jordan - there is no chance of that happening.

The tape shows that despite the rumor about their disagreements, in death, Bin Laden respects Zarqawi as a true Jihadi, a true fighter for Islam.

For 19 minutes, on video graphics with audio overlay, Osama bin Laden hits home the point that he is THE true Muslim leader.