Bin Laden Quiet, Bush Silent

Power Line ^ | Hindrocket

[JessieHelmsJr]

We've gone back and forth on the question whether Osama bin Laden is dead. Today, Matthew Heidt of Froggy Ruminations argues that bin Laden is an ex-terrorist:

[RightMike]

Osama's in the guest room at Kennebunkport. :)

[GreenHornet]

What about the taped audio-messages from Osama Bin Laden? A lot of organizations say those were authentic.

I think it's interesting that we've only heard AUDIO from OBL, and have seen no actual VIDEO footage of him for almost 3 years.

My conclusion: He's assumed room temperature. He's taking a dirt nap. He's worm food. He's gone slab surfing. He's doing the lawn limbo.

[beckysueb]

I agree. If he announced it now, the liberal idiots would scream bloody murder that he was doing it to win the election.

[ASA Vet]

[Use It Or Lose It]

I think a more telling sign is Kerry doesn't talk all that much about Osama.

Kidding, right? He brings up Osama and Tora Bora every chance he gets.

[NetValue]

You write much opinion, but provide no evidence that UBL is dead.

[mmsturm]

"There is another reason for keeping UBL's demise quiet. If the President were to announce that bin Laden was officially worm food, the Democrats would immediately declare the WOT over and start screaming "bring the boys home" even louder than they are now."

Exactly

[BobS]

Osama is actually living in the bunker 40 feet underneath the white house and getting fat. He plays craps with the Secret Service and is watching FOXNews 24/7 unless Rush is on.

[Boundless]

> ... I wonder if he {Bush} knows Osama is dead or is in
> custody and is waiting for the election to be over
> before the announcement ...

He's said "I don't know", and my inclination is to take
him at his word.

Note that this is a true answer even if his policy was
that he didn't want to know if the post-Tora-Bora BDA
turned up OBL's body.

However, it's perhaps more likely that the body is
buried in a collapsed cave not worth excavating, or
the fatal episode resulted in no identifiable remains.
Don't forget, we've yet to ID a considerable fraction
of the WTC victims/remains.

Could also be that he died a jaundiced skeleton in
some scurvy raghead camp, and they were too embarassed
to attempt to make a martyr of him.

Considering all the outcomes, undead works for me.

[Tacis]

While I agree that OBL's death will never be ANNOUNCED for fear of making him a martyr, i prefer to believe there is another step in his career. I like to think that OBL bacame a guest of the US at a resort, perhaps on Diego Garcia, where he has been able to enjoy Yankee hospitality. His IV drip has been chock full of healthy stuff and he has learned to love his hosts, even making an occassional tape at their requests.

When OBL died (even if it hasn't, technically, happened yet) he was committed to the eternal deep with all reverence and respect and weighted down with shot an internal quantities of pig fat, entrails and skin. Golly, that man can talk!!

[lawdude]

He was turned into an unperson, room temperature, pile of crispy bits at Tora Bora!

[ErnBatavia]

Bush can't say anything because Teresa has OBL holed up in their Nantucket mansion

Better check with our own Conspiracy Guy before you go any further....keyword: Backyard Shed

[databoss]

When OBL was vapourised on that moonless night there were not enough parts left of him, his bodyguards and the donkeys they were riding to forensically ID. They simply disappearred in a cloud of red vapour and dust much like the poor inhabitants of the Twin Towers...justice was served....

[Bombard]

To quote Dr. Mc Coy from Star Trek " He's DEAD Jim"!!!

[SuziQ]

the man is a messy carbon accumulation of hate. Too bad.. so sad.. it sucked to be him.

ROTFL!!

[hansel]

I'm going to believe Osama is dead until I see him in a video tape holding up a recent print edition of his favorite newspaper, The New York Times.

[dufekin]

Usama could be dead without Bush knowing of his demise, or Usama could be alive. I personally believe the latter scenario. Let us nevertheless suppose for the moment that Usama is dead and that Bush knows it. Why wouldn't he say it? Perhaps it has more to do with domestic politics than with cosigning Usama to martyrdom.

If Usama is dead, Democrats would snort, "why fight any more war on terrorism?" Of course we need to kill not only Usama bin Laden but also his entire terrorist apparatus. Unless we continue to hunt the terrorists, we cannot defeat them. The leadership of Usama bin Laden can be replaced if al-Qaida were unmolested. We're trying to capture or kill not one terrorist but all of terrorists.

We need to pressure and reform the potential disaster that is Pakistan. We must inspire Muslims to reject terrorists and their ideology of hatred by giving them the opportunity to embrace their God-given freedom.

In short, the war on terrorism is bigger than Usama bin Laden. But in the minds of many, taking out Usama would end the war. In reality, the war must continue until our enemies and their ideology face utter and complete defeat and ridicule.

So why reveal Usama's demise--when it does occur? There's no particularly good reason. Many Americans and our allies would cease supporting the war, believing us to have won a war when in fact we would have won only a mere battle.

Then there's the intelligence possibilities. If Usama could communicate to the terrorists while in American custody, would the terrorists necessarily know of his fate? If terrorist operatives were awaiting approval from a deceased Usama for an operation, might the operation fail or become known if that approval never came? Why tell the terrorists that their leader is dead? What purpose does that serve for our operations? Yes, it might demoralize them, but that would be temporary and expedite the approval of a replacement.