This is something 'nuanced' Westerners are going to have to come to grips with...
OBL is nothing more than what true conservatives have come to expect from those who hate America. He uses America to justify his love of murder and mayhem. The American leftists (like, the NY Times, etc) who are forced to confront the morality of killing innocent people, nonetheless need to point out what they percieve to be the faults of America as part of their evaluation of what is happening. Liberals and socialists cannot support themselves, intellectually, and so they need to call names.
Unbridled emotion and narcissism are what generates OBL and liberalism. They have both proven to be dangerous in their own way. And it all comes down to a simple idea -- either you can put yourself in the shoes of another person, or you want the power of life and death over them.
I think bin Laden believes what he says. He hasn't spent much time in the west, or out of his cultural sphere. He's just crazy, and needs to be put down. He's very serious about this jihad thing. Just as Hitler was about his beliefs.
He gained his influence due to his money. Money always helps.