It makes sense that he would try to continue to raise himself as some sort of holy being. Al Qaida does mean 'The Base' afterall. He knows the best way to live forever is to become a figure younger generations see as a hero of the religion.
UBL
...September 11 would have been less severe if George Bush would have been paying attention...
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New DNC ad?
Well, we see what Iran and possibly China has to say about this tape.
As for the Mahdi thing, according to the boards/sites I have visited; Muslims seem to be divided as to what level of importance UBL holds. Some say he is just being used now as a talking head; others say it is time to move on.