So why HASN'T Osama attacked us since 9-11?

[Philosoraptor]

A. We've got him on the run.

B. He's dead.

C. He's just waiting for the right moment.

D. He doesn't need to attack us, we're falling apart on our own.

E. He never attacked us in the first place.

F. He's waiting for the word "go".

G. He's afraid of big bad george.

H. He's frozen in carbonite, awaiting a thaw.

[Turbineguy]

1. Multiple choice test...

Hmmmm..... OK, I'll pick "D"

[OwnedByFerrets]

2. I will go with "D". with an

adendum: We are not doing it on our own, its being cramed down our throats by bushco.

[prole_for_peace]

29. seconded....n/t

[kurth]

3. His business model changed to

franchising, multilevel marketing, and audio-video productions.

[magellan]

4. You forgot "He wants to surpass 9-11"

Hubby and I keep having this conversation. I say it's because 9-11 was (at least) LIHOP. He says it's because they have this keening to do something even grander than 9-11.

[RagingInMiami]

5. The CIA never paid him for the last attack

[Bucky]

9. so you're saying he's withholding services until we settle up our bill?

I can only dream of being that cynical.

[pazuzu]

15. Bush/Cheney haven't greenlighted an actual attack

They're using these stories of foiled "plots" to keep the pubilc in fear.

[Dirty Hippie]

6. Greg Palast says

it is because he got what he wanted.

He wanted US troops out of Saudi Arabia and "our dear leader" pulled them out just before Iraq.

...

That’s because Osama got what he wanted. There’s no mystery about what Al Qaeda was after. Like everyone from the Girl Scouts to Bono, Osama put his wish on his web site. He had a single demand: “Crusaders out of the land of the two Holy Places.” To translate: get US troops out of Saudi Arabia.

And George Bush gave it to him. On April 29, 2003, two days before landing on the aircraft carrier Lincoln, our self-described “War President” quietly put out a notice that he was withdrawing our troops from Saudi soil. In other words, our cowering cowboy gave in whimpering to Osama’s demand.

The press took no note. They were all wiggie over Bush’s waddling around the carrier deck in a disco-aged jump suit announcing, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.” But it wasn’t America’s mission that was accomplished, it was Osama’s.

...

http://www.gregpalast.com/so-osama-walks-into-this-bar-see

[jobycom]

14. That's a strong possibility.

UBL said something like that in one of his taped messages (if it was him). Something like, 9-11 was history, it had accomplished its goals, and he had moved on to other things. Of course, other tapes made grand threats. I don't remember the order or timing (or much else) about the tapes--it would be interesting to see if that comment came after we moved the troops, and if his threats after that point changed.

It's also possible that he's got other plans and plots cooking, but our increased surveillance has made them too difficult to carry out. He never got any attacks through BEFORE 9-11 either. 9-11 was a fluke brought on by an incredibly incompetent (deliberately or otherwise) administration who ignored the threat.

We won't know anything for sure until Bush is out of office and someone investigates for real.

[tabasco]

23. Plus, he's grateful for us allowing him to escape Tora Bora.

The corrupt Bush regime wanted to get on top of the Iraqi oil, so no US forces could be spared to go after Bin Laden. The Bush cabal's operation had the Pakistanis "guard the border." Totally absurd. Every American should be outraged. But the corrupt cabal and their corporate media convinced the gullible American public that Iraq had something to do with 9-11. Tragic and sad at the same time.

[gulliver]

31. Bush is the Bin Laden gift that keeps on giving.

Bin Laden declared war on the United States and attacked us. Then Bush has continued the destruction of America 10-fold ever since. It's like a bullfight and we're the bull.

[Bucky]

7. A and C: He and Bush are busy inspiring a new generation of killers

He's lost a lot of the logistical fire power of his original organization. Al-Qaeda is a lot more diversified and decentralized than it was before the Afghan invasion. It's a different (not necessarily weaker) organization than it was in 2001. But since Bush has spent the last five years essentially verifying most of bin Laden's hoariest claims about American imperial plans, he's inspiring, but not outright leading, a new generation of would-be terrorists who think big, think low-tech, act independently or with marginal help from older al-Qaeda hands, and are nearly impossible to pin down.

Once Iraq calms down (which will take 2-8 years probably) look the fuck out. When the heavily trained extremists there quit hitting each other, there'll be a whole new generation of experienced, trained, motivated, and sociopathic terrorists just looking for new fat targets (read "American") to attack, just to the bragging rights.

[rock]

8. D. We're doing it ourselves.

Why would he waste the energy?

[angstlessk]

10. You should have done this as a poll, would be interesting to see

the answers..but add, cause george is keeping us all safe and sound...just to see how many freepers we have. They can vote anonymously!

[TheFriedPiper]

11. He was barely competent enough to get 9/11 accomplished

and that's with Rumsfeld and Cheney making sure he had a window of opportunity and a clear hole in our defense systems.

[Toots]

12. What makes you think he attacked us on 9-11?

Was it that "Pristeen" passport found on the street or just the say-so of our very honest government?

[ryanus]

13. E, but in two different ways

1. He really never did it
2. The people won't think he did it in the future because we get new bad guys and remember the past differently.

Like in 1984, the feds have moved the focus from bin Laden to Taliban, then to Irag, then Zarqawi, now Iran and\or Hizbollah.

I wouldn't be surprised if in ten years from now history books will claim that some other group did 911, because they keep on changing the bad guy. We are at war with Oceania. No wait, Eastasia. Goldstein did it, no wait...

[leesa]

16. B and E. It was done by our government early in Bush's first term

right on schedule with their verbalized threat to the Taliban to bomb them in October (they threatened them in July). It was done early in the first term so they would have plenty of time to institute their planned anti-democracy dictates here. OBL was used in name only. In exchange for this favor, troops were removed from SA.

[Rageneau]

17. It's because he and Smirk have a mutual agreement.

BartCop says that the only reason Osama has not staged some kind of terror event here in the US is because he is deliberately refraining from doing so. After all, it really wouldn't be that hard to steal a tanker truck or poison water or food supplies or do major damage any of a thousand possible ways. So why hasn't he?

Maybe it's not only because Osama is getting what he wants just fine right now, but also because he and Smirk have a gentleman's agreement, to wit: So long as Osama doesn't tarnish Bush's only perceived asset (keeping terror away from our shores), then Bush won't really try to find Osama. And notice he has officially stopped even looking.

I think BartCop makes sense. Why else would Osama take it easy on the U.S. when attacks could be staged here a thousand ways? And how else can it be that the our intelligence services, with all the assets available to them, haven't been able to locate him in five long years?

Do I think Bush is devious and power-mad enough to actually make deals with our nation's enemies for political benefit?

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

[jumpoffdaplanet]

18. He did. The anthrax letters in 2001

Everyone likes to forget them.

[Philosoraptor]

19. interesting speculation, bush blamed Saddam for the anthrax

"it looks like something he would do"

[Odin2005]

20. Because AQ no longer exists because of the Afganistan invasion.

There is no "vast terrorist network." AQ was a liitle group of islamists who retreated to the only coutry who would still take them that got lucky because of *'s incompetence. The current crop of AQ clones like Zarqawi's bunch are groupos who were inspired by the exaggerated AQ portrayed by the Media.

[roseBudd]

21. Because Bush as president Fing up everything he touches including

deficit spending fits into Osama's needs

[lectrobyte]

22. D, sort of, he doesn't need to, because he's accomplishing his

goals without more attacks. This article lays it out better than I can:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/10/01247/557

[msmcghee]

24. Great question.

I've been wondering about that too.

I think Osama's goal is the eventual demise of western civilization to be replaced by a greater Islamic civilization.

This is a long term goal. Unlike most westerners he has no desire to reap praise and rewards in his lifetime. He would much rather be remembered as the one who patiently laid the groundwork for the events that will follow over the next century.

I suspect he would possibly have launched more terrorist attacks following 9/11 if George Bush had not so stupidly left Afghanistan and moved into Iraq where our military has been humiliated in their ineffectiveness - and where thousands of new Al Quada recruits have received their AIT (Advanced Infantry Training.)

If and when we leave Iraq - look for more terrorist action on the home front.

However, Al Quada is a network - not a command hierarchy. Any of several Al Quada cells that currently exist on US soil might decide on their own to kill a few thousand more of us "Jew supporters". But for now, I think their orders are to prepare meticulously so that when the time comes there will be massive devastation and no failures.

[KittyWampus]

25. I. He got what he wanted. US troops out of Saudi Arabia

[Palladin]

26. E.

Keep your eye on the real terrorists, agents provocateures and subversives - the neocons both in the former United States and in Israel - and their sock puppets Cheney/Bush.

[treestar]

27. A, with the proviso we don't try too hard to find him, since finding him

might make the war on "terra" look won, and the Rethugs don't want us thinking that.

Or F, we are already giving up our freedoms at an alarming rate, and wasn't that what he hated? So he doesn't need to attack us because we are doing what he wants.

[leftofthedial]

28. same reason the tooth fairy hasn't visited me in over 35 years.

same exact reason.

[graywarrior]

30. Halliburton's got him.

[Pastiche423]

32. B

DOD = December, 2001