They might pull the 'dead Zarqawi' routine with Osama too.

[Philosoraptor]

Our government has been known to be slightly deceptive at times we know, I recall when they made such a huge deal about Zarqawi for all those years, then, when the polls began to drop, bingo, we got Zarqawi. They produced a corpse, photos of his dead ass were plastered all over the world, bush trotted out and took credit for a glorious victory.

They could do the exact same thing with Osama. Say they killed him in an air raid in Pakistan for instance, show his dead, bloody face to the bushmedia, have the CIA confirm his dna with the nicer bin Ladens, and bada bingo, bush is the biggest hero and crime fighter since Batman.

(wild eyed theory)--bin Laden lives the rest of his life in anonymity in Switzerland, or, he's been dead for years, either way, the vast roaming herds of morans would buy it.

Too far out of a scenario? Remember, you heard it here first.

[magellan]

1. Not at all far out

Wouldn't be surprised if it happens. Pissed off, yeah, surprised, no.

BTW, "our government has been known to be slightly deceptive at times"?! You mean on average since the formation of these here United States, right? Cuz it's been more than slight since Bush** started squatting in the WH! :)

[Perky]

2. Too far out for me.

What happen if OBL turns around and produces a new video that awakens a sleeper cell that blows up the Golden Gate bridge and the Lincoln tunnel? and then takes credit for it in a second video.

Bush would drop to about 10% in the polls and would likely be impeached even by a GOP house. GOP rank and file would be completely infuriated because it would prove to the world how corrupt this guy and Rove really are.

It would discredit the CIA and the military as corrupt political tools of the "New Nixon". The GOP would be forced to hold hearings and many heads would roll.

I bet if you posted the idea of such a propaganda operation that you would see similar reactions.

Now is Bush despotic enough to want to do it? Probably, but Rove is smart enough to know this would set the party back for years.

[Blackthorn]

3. Bin Laden is dead. They can use him all they want. n/t

[Perky]

4. Oh God....here we go again.

Lemme guess: They want him "alive" so that they can justify huge no-bid contracts to Haliburton. And that was deemed even more important than sing his actual death for propoganda purposes in the 2002 or 200r election cycles or even whenBush was down to 29% in the polls? Or perhaps they did not need that because DiBold was going to assure them of victory anyway,

Next thing you will be telling me is that Cundy Sheehan is actually a Rove creation to stir their base.

[Blackthorn]

5. Ugh.

Responding two consecutive response that imply I'm insane for having a different opinion.

Bottom line, as soon as Bush "captures" Bin Laden, he can never use him again. Ever heard of the expression of not putting all your eggs in one basket? By keeping him at large, he can return to the same well again and again.

I'm not going to say anything about Cindy Sheehan. Your implication is offensive.

[Perky]

6. It is as equallly plausible as Bin Laden being dead.

I don't have a shred of evidence to support that opinion of a Rove/Sheehan connection....but I seriously doubt you have any evidence to support the contention that OBL is dead.

If you had said "I think Bin Laden is dead" I would not have quibbled. But you didn't.

[Blackthorn]

9. I don't find it necessary to preface every opinion with "I think"

I'm saying it. It's my opinion. It's based on several sources I've happened upon. At any rate, the man has a kidney diease and needs dialysis. It's completely reasonable to assume that A) He's dead or B) He's alive somewhere, AND being looked after. I mean, he was released from a CIA Hospital in 2000 after undergoing surgery. Dead or being looked after.

The notion of Bin Laden on the run is a joke.

[SmokingJacket]

11. I think he is dead, too.

Nothing we've heard of him since dec 01 has been at all convincing. He was very ill.

It makes sense that they would choose not to pay attention to the reports of his death -- if he died in 01, people would have been much less supporting of the ensuing war on terr.

[Taxloss]

7. Why haven't they done this already, then?

Instead, they've left themselves open to five years of criticism for not capturing the guy. At this point, even producing a dead OBL would be more likely to get people saying "about freakin' time", not "I'm sorry I ever doubted the gubmint!"

[Philosoraptor]

8. good question

You got me stumped though. All we can do is postulate wild theories when the government is so psychotically secretive.

[mtnester]

10. Won't happen because they need that bogeyman to scare the

masses into voting for their candidate and agenda.