Posted on 04/03/2008 5:07:20 AM PDT by nuconvert
'Osama bin Laden is Planning Something for the US Election'
US author Steve Coll spent years looking into Osama bin Laden's family. Now, his new book provides a unique insight into the clan. SPIEGEL spoke with him about where the terrorist might be hiding, how his father got his start, and the unique romantic liasons pursued by one of his brothers.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Coll, Osama bin Laden recently broke a long silence. He threatened Europe and called for the "liberation" of the Gaza Strip. How seriously should we take these missives? Do they tell us anything about him or about where he might be?
Steve Coll: Bin Laden has long formulated his messages such that they touch on current events. It is not difficult to imagine him hidden away somewhere on the Afghanistan border watching al-Jazeera or CNN and taking notes for his next communiqué. I think his comments on Europe were mostly an effort to make headlines -- written after he heard about the Muhammad caricatures being reprinted. But it could also be an indication that he got wind of a plot developing in Europe. In the last two years, we have found connections between such plots and al-Qaida headquarters. His mention of Gaza is typical of his attempt to play a role in current events. He simply wants to show that he is still alive and keeping abreast of developments in the Muslim world.
SPIEGEL: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accuses the Bush administration of having dangerously neglected the hunt for the world's most-wanted terrorist. Is he right?
Coll: It would have been possible to eliminate Osama bin Laden, specifically between 1998 and 2001, in the time before Sept. 11. We had agents on site at the time,
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
Yes, it is called getting a loyal follower named Obama elected President.
Obama is it.
Let’s hope he’s planning to endorse Obama...
Obamas got friends in Oil Places where the oil flows in the Oasis?
What? Rising from the dead?
Here, why don't you leave it to the pros?
Cheers!
“Here, why don’t you leave it to the pros?”
Thanks, that got me laughing this morning!
You can be certain that he’s not going to attack an Obama rally.
Obama would be smart to get word to his buddy Osama that attacking before the election would only hurt his cause by putting McCain in the White House.
All the more reason to elect someone who’s not a bedwetter like Obama. If you think he’s not sympathetic to these people, just wait until he’s the Democrat of choice and the Republicans start to unveil the real Barack.
very apt.
The crowd started booing and Ashcroft looked like he ran over someones dog. Ashcroft just stood their stunned and trembled, mumbling “I am sorry”. I would have laughed at the booing and said “What, did I make a funny about your messiah”, or “What are you so ignorant you failed to understand how Obama wants to weaken us militarily and just magically declare peace in our time if elected, just like Osama wants”.
This epitomizes the Republican party, weak and too scared of offending anybody. It was a pathetic performance by Ashcroft.
Let's see... who was President in 1998, 1999, and 2000?
Oh yeah... the sinkmeister, cigar afficianado, alleged rapist, and HilLIARy's husband, Slick Willy!
That passage did indeed stick out like a shining light of truth.
I'm sure Osama is rejoicing over his invitation to ride in the second car in this guy's January 20, 2009 victory parade up Pennsylvania (soon to be renamed Abu Ayyub al-Masri Boulevard in tribute to the AQ in Iraq Martyr murdered by Bush/Cheney) Avenue.
This guy is a charlatan:
“In any event, we neglected to bring in the Tenth Mountain Division, which specialized in that type of combat and was partly stationed in Uzbekistan at the time. It was a bad decision.”
The 10th Mountain Division does not specialize in mountain warfare. That is not the reason for its name. There isn’t even a high hill at Fort Drum. The name commemorates the WW2 10th Mtn Div. It does not signify any special capability today.
The 10th Mountain Division is an outstanding unit. It has been deployed as frequently as any unit in the US military...Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq...multiple times to the latter two.
I am merely pointing out that it is not a specialized mountain warfare division. Anyone with basic knowledge of US military operations knows this.
The guy is full of crap.
How much does bin laden have to do? Surely the people who support him will already be out in force stealing votes and trying to prevent Republicans from getting to the polls in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, etc etc. They did it in 2000 and 2004.
By the way, I think that the preponderance of the evidence suggests that Bin Laden is dead. I know folks in the military who think so. Guys like this author and Peter Bergen can’t stand to think that their romantic subject might be dead. Bergen for one, hates the POTUS.
I think that soon after Bush leaves office, the media will start speculating that Bin Laden is dead and then start to question why we are continuing to fight when the main “criminal” is dead.
Mark my words.
He’s getting indoor plumbing!
Bada bing!
I sure agree with that!
Now, see, this is precisely why citizen forums--and FR in particular--are so valuable. Whether it's Osama, Obama, Hillary, Dan Rather, Katie Couric, the DNC, MoveOn.org, or any of the host of manipulative BS artists, they can no longer pass off their propaganda without challenge. Their unwitting or willing dupes in the media are no longer the last stop. There's a universe of expert fact-checkers. Thanks for your post.
Just like he did in 2004 with John Kerry.
This is going to be October Surprise II, right?
What ... his resurrection? ;o)
Ya beat me to it. I shoulda read the comments first.
The title is pretty much hype. You have to read through to the last two paragraphs to find where he says this, and he says it almost in passing, with no particular basis for it except for his opinion. Not criticizing nuconvert, just saying the article’s mostly fluff and stuff we’ve all read before.
And we always have something BIG planned for Obama, oops, Osama! BOOM to Osama Bin Laden!
“The title is pretty much hype’
Agree
I don’t think he’s planning something for the election.
You can be certain that as long as Barack Hussein Obama is in the race, there will be no attack.
Yup, he's hard at it making Obama bumper stickers and shipping them via container ships into US ports. They wind up inside all the foreign owned hotels, truck stops and Quicki-Marts. Sorry, Apu
Osama? Isn’t he an Obama superdelegate?
OBL’s health status has been a question. Alqaida #2 says OBL’s health status remains unchanged since 15 Dec 01.
Our ancestors didn't risk life & limb to emigrate to this country just so a bunch of camel jockeys could come here, terrorize our women & children and make hamburger out of our families.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
very witty. lol
The enemies of America will win no matter which crud gets elected.
Ping.
An act of violence toward the USA would not benefit Obama. It might not even benefit ole John. But, it would make Americans furious if it were a home grown attack on our domestic security. If it occurs in Iraq, Arabia, Afghan., it will simply hurt most Republicans who campaign on winning the war. That is too bad since the war against Islamofascism is noble but of course with American patriotism waning, especially in Blue states and with the young, moderates, any Osama attack might not benefit John as it would ordinarily.
This is interesting from a detached “game theory” type point of view. Would Osama prefer Obama because either A) The US might pull away which is what Osama claims he wants or B) it allows him to declare victory in Iraq or C) It might make the US more vulnerable to attack as focus shifts back to domestic issues and Obama declares the WoT over.
Or would Osama prefer McCain because A) McCain actually wants a battle between the US and the AQ brand, and Osama WANTS it that way...so he can have more targets or B) go down as a martyr even when they lose or C) He views it as American spending its wealth on killing mosquitoes with missles..like a reverse Ronald Reagan.
Maybe Osama just prefers a confrontation in black and white terms, but one would think he would prefer a pull out of Iraq so he can claim a win, and then attack the retreat (figuratively speaking).
Of course, this assumes OBL is not dead, and assumes he has far more control than I believe he really has. Al Q is a lot more like the Sopranos than anything else. Loose associations of families who can easily go off the reservation rather than a military styled organization. OBL is like the mafia don in prison who inspires or hints but doesn’t fully control.
Trying to do to us what happened in Spain.
Exactly.
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