[robowombat]

For the United States, the most prudent conclusion to draw from bin Laden's new statement is that al-Qaeda has fully completed preparations for more attacks in the United States. Bin Laden chose to speak at this time because he wanted to clearly tell Americans that al-Qaeda can attack in the U.S. whether or not it is engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq. That he intended the warning to be clear for Americans to understand is shown by the fact that the statement contained even fewer quotations from the Quran and the Hadith than did the statement of October 31, 2004, which, until then, was the sparest of all bin Laden's speeches in terms of such quotations. Adding to the alarming nature of this warning was bin Laden's pointed reminder that the "mujahideen, all praise be to Allah, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of this is the explosions you have seen in the capitals [Madrid and London] of the European nations who are in this aggressive coalition [in Iraq]."

[50sDad]

Bring it on. I'd hate the loss of life and property, but it might galvanize everyone to hate Bin Ladin and his crowd the way we did on 9/12.

[Rushmore Rocks]

FYI

[Dog]

I still wonder what brought Zawahiri and his four planners together that evening in Damadola....it wasn't because of the local cuisine.

Something BIG was on the agenda.

[nmh]

He wants a "truce" for some down time. His organization has been scrambled and dissipated. He needs time to build up and get things organized and going again. OBL is no man of honor. He's a whore to Satan and so are those that follow him.

[GOPJ]

Osama is overplaying his hand. Within a few years the West won't need ME oil - and either will the rest of the world. When that time comes, the ME will have nothing. No products, no artificial means to prop up their 17th Century ways, and no friends in the world.

Just as the UAE is looking to a time when oil has stopped flowing, so should the rest of the Arab world. Take away the oil and the whole ME (every Arab State in that region put together) has the GDP of Denmark. In other words, nothing. On the world stage the ME would go from swagger to homelessness ... and it would happen with the same great speed that money flowed into the region 40 years ago...

Osama might mean what he says, but the West is powerful. Vietnam was a cultural loss, not a military loss. He knows and doesn't know that... In some ways Osama "gets" this culture - in other ways he misses the obvious. But this I know, if Osama is looking for a fight, he'll get the fight of his life. We will hunt down and kill every one of them - if it takes the next 50 years. And both sides will be hurt. And Osama will drag that region of the world down with him. For millions of tomorrows. And the West, being stronger, will come back. The ME will die. There must be a better way.

This is so sad.

[SevenMinusOne]

For the United States, the most prudent conclusion to draw from bin Laden's new statement is that al-Qaeda has fully completed preparations for more attacks in the United States. Bin Laden chose to speak at this time because he wanted to clearly tell Americans that al-Qaeda can attack in the U.S. whether or not it is engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ahh, BS - This dirtbag and his fellow leadership ilk (within Stan/Pak) are doing all they can to merely ekk out their last days of survival in the Pak border regions -

They've been reduced to controlling nothing and living off merely the sympathy of other hate filled mountain scum. Or worse yet having to buy their safety from mountain trash to house them.

The reality is al Qeade has been decimated and UBL never in his wildest dreams imagined what has happened in the last 4 years.

That does not mean the GWOT is over (or even close) there is still much fighting to be done (and it will be done). But UBL himself has been reduced to the coward he is... living among Pakistani mountain trash.

Time was on his side in the short run (to hide) but his days are coming to an end. He won't survive 06 -

[justshutupandtakeit]

I believe he will stage a series of Breslan like attacks on the most innocent and vulnerable. This could easily be done.