AP: Bin Laden Publicly Quiet for Long Time

[Newsjock]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/04/ap/world/mainD8DLUCUG4.shtml

Osama bin Laden has been publicly silent for the longest period since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The question for U.S. intelligence: What, if anything, does it mean?

... Since the 9/11 attacks, the longest bin Laden had gone without issuing a new public statement -- written, audio or video -- was just over nine months. He's now let 10 months pass, and counting.

Two U.S. counterterrorism officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the subject's sensitivity, say there isn't evidence to suggest he's dead. The working assumption is that bin Laden is alive, even if he isn't churning out tapes.

... President Bush rarely mentions bin Laden, who has eluded U.S. capture despite being the most-sought terrorist in the world. Bush did mention him by name in a series of speeches focused on the war in terror last month.

more

[twaddler01]

1. Sad sad sad...

This administration is sad...

[Missy M]

2. As long as the officials keep telling us bin Laden is alive....

they will be successful in keeping Americans scared. That is their goal and it goes along with what the bush administration wants.

[pinniped]

3. Well, there isn't evidence he's alive either.

All those videos and audio tapes that allegedly came out within the last couple years are probably fake.

--The working assumption is that bin Laden is alive, even if he isn't churning out tapes.--

If he was still around he would be making "real" tapes taunting the POS*.

[rpannier]

8. Have to disagree with you there

He's turned out quite a few tapes that make references to world events that were going on around the time they were releaseed. He may be dead now, but it would be in the last eight-to-twelve months that it happened.

[pinniped]

13. I just found it too much of a coincidence how US forces just happened...

to stumble upon a video tape in a house in Afghanistan featuring a fat Osama and some cleric dude supposedly talking about the World Trade Center attacks a couple months after it occurred. About the only thing that looked like Osama's was the AKS74U rifle.

If they faked one they're likely to fake more.

I think the real tapes are the ones from a few years ago where he was talking in front of a rocky background wearing his digital Timex Ironman looking watch. A subsequent video showed the rocky background with a white sheet draped over it as to conceal the type of rock. They were talking about narrowing his whereabouts down by analyzing the type of rock he was standing in front of. Someone heard about that and draped the background. *'s people wouldn't have thought of that little detail.

What's your take one the pre-(s)election Osama "scare" tape?

[rocktivity]

14. Fat Osama--yes, I remember him well

:headbang:
rocknation

[twaddler01]

20. nice

:rofl:

[daleo]

26. Jolly old fat Ossama

Just in time for the holiday season. Ho, ho, ho.

[Rainscents]

4. He is dead... He died is Tora Bora way back.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

5. I always sensed that myself

[peace frog]

11. Agreed

Hope he's enjoying his 70 virgins... :evilfrown:

[NYC Liberal]

25. There was even an obituary printed in an Egyptian newspaper.

Anyone have it?

[Up2Late]

28. Yes, I posted it below

He's not just dead, he's very, very dead.:evilgrin:

[jsamuel]

6. BREAKING NEWS!!!! WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON!!!

[stevietheman]

7. But he sure did make a point to turn up when Bush needed him...

last October. Is bin Laden *not* a Bush tool? I realize that's a provocative statement, but sometimes, it just seems that way.

[...of J.Temperance]

9. It's okay, Osama will pop up RIGHT before the Mid-Term Elections

In 2006. Just like he was very quiet for a long time before and then as if it were a miracle, just DAYS before the Presidential Election last year, yep 'ole Osama popped up on a video to help his pal Junior and the Repukes out.

Prediction for Osama's next public appearance: Last week of October 2006.

[xchrom]

10. the only thing that concerns me is this: the administration FAILED

to verify bin ladens death or his living whereabouts.

they FAILED to catch the ''mastermind'' of 9/11.

they FAILED to knock al queda into the stone age.

they FAILED to stop the spread of radicals who are blowing up people all over the world.

in short: they FAILED.

[Little Star]

12. Bush lied........ He did run and

he did hide

[leesa]

15. Means he's been dead since 2001, and the DOD hasn't had time to make

any new fake videos.

[Ian David]

16. He's busy strategizing in his cave with Karl Rove

[Straight Shooter]

17. Maybe he thinks bush in the White House is better than a terrorist attack.

bush is doing quite a magnificent job destroying everything good about America without any help from Osama. Except of course, right before the election where the tape miraculously surfaced just in time to freak out the fundies again and influence the election.

Say, Osama and Judas Miller have a lot in common. They should get together over tea sometime. Maybe Scooter can join them.

[allisonthegreat]

18. probably, lol

[newyawker99]

30. Hi allisonthegreat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[twaddler01]

22. that rings too true

:rofl:

[Thangalin]

19. He's Dead, Jim

Or perhaps he's alive. It doesn't matter, life will go on for everyone. Except Van.

[kurth]

21. Bin Laden is Bush's best friend, and Bush is the terrorist's best friend

"If there is one thing we know about bin Laden before the start of the Iraq war, it is that he wasn't in Iraq. With the invasion of Iraq, bin Laden got all the benefits of being America's public enemy No. 1 but none of the disadvantages. He got an explosion of anti-Americanism around the world, potential recruits lined up out the cave door and around the block for future suicide missions, swell new opportunities for terrorism in the chaos of Iraq itself, and the forced retirement of Saddam Hussein, whom he never cared for. He got a thousand Americans dead and hundreds of billions of capitalist dollars gone -- results that would make any terrorist episode a huge success -- without his having to lift a finger. And meanwhile, every bomb dropped on Iraq was a bomb not dropped on him. What's not to like?"
- Michael Kinsley

[Miss Chybil]

23. Osama bin Forgotten

By Bush, anyway.

[Fairlyunbalanced]

24. Psha... you have all got it completely wrong!!!

I've just recieved word from the Italians that Osama and Max Hedrom were seen riding a tandem bicycle in Syria, discussing plans to return to Venezuela.

[Up2Late]

27. I guess they've been too busy to cast a new actor for a new video

He's been dead since December 2001. Just look at the images from the 2 "surprise videos," and why, in the age of $300 Dollar Digital Video cameras are his videos so fuzzy?
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july-dec01/video_12-13a.html>
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july-dec01/video.html>

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1648572.stm>




December 13, 2001 "Smoking Gun" Video <http://www.welfarestate.com/wtc/faketape/>


A,B=2001 Video?
D=Early video
C=December 27, 2001
E=December 13, 2001



October 2004
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6363306/>
<http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/>

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/12/28/wbin28.xml>

On December 27, 2001, a second video containing the pale skinned and very real Osama 'C' was broadcast on al Jazeera. The tape was reportedly made on November 19, 2001 - that's ten days after the "lucky find" tape was reportedly made.

Then their is the "Extra" info that the Pentagon translation contains, but 2 Arab translators from a German T.V. show say are not in the Arabic on the Video <http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/16801> (Note: check out the "how dare you question 'our President'" comments at the bottom of the IndyMedia link)

<http://www.welfarestate.com/binladen/funeral/>

<http://www.welfarestate.com/binladen/surprise/>

(I don't read Arabic, if anyone does, I'd welcome a confirmation that this translation is accurate.)

Translation of Funeral Article in Egyptian Paper:
al-Wafd, Wednesday, December 26, 2001 Vol 15 No 4633

News of Bin Laden's Death
and Funeral 10 days ago

Islamabad -
A prominent official in the Afghan Taleban movement announced yesterday the death of Osama bin Laden, the chief of al-Qa'da organization, stating that binLaden suffered serious complications in the lungs and died a natural and quiet death. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, stated to The Observer of Pakistan that he had himself attended the funeral of bin Laden and saw his face prior to burial in Tora Bora 10 days ago. He mentioned that 30 of al-Qa'da fighters attended the burial as well as members of his family and some friends from the Taleban. In the farewell ceremony to his final rest guns were fired in the air. The official stated that it is difficult to pinpoint the burial location of bin Laden because according to the Wahhabi tradition no mark is left by the grave. He stressed that it is unlikely that the American forces would ever uncover any traces of bin Laden.



(Their is so much more, but I think that's enough.)

[Barkley]

29. His last major video was just before election-day 2004.

[Demeter]

31. How I Wish We Could Say the Same About Bush and Co.

It's so peaceful when they all get knocked on their asses by events and lose the spin cycle!