Probably because their source assured them he's gotten death threats or doesn't even need threats, but knows he'd be hurt if the tape were released.
I still think the whole thing stinks.
I doubt that the “source” has gotten any threat at all. I bet that Zero's henchmen more than likely visited the LA Slimes and told them that they'd be cut off from any and all access to the false messiah if it were released.
Nah, I think that someone supplied the tape to the LAT to prove that Obama’s support for Israel was just campaign rhetoric, and that he didn’t really mean it. It’s a similar situation to the remarks about unilaterally revising the free trade agreement with Canada, where his campaign adviser, Goolsby, contacted the Canadians and told them, he doesn’t really mean it.