[nuconvert]

"The video raises the question of whether bin Laden sees himself as this Mahdi" "...bin Laden has been signing his name "Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden,"

Proof that he's really gone off the deep end?


"If bin Ladin – or some other Islamist leader – were to declare himself the Mahdi, should that make a difference to U.S. policy-makers?"

NO!

"If the claim were believable to the Islamic world,..."
Then it would make a difference.

"Al Mahdi" is supposed to appear at a time when Muslim believers are severely oppressed ...."

From recent articles, seems like "indifference" or even "disgusted" might be a better word than "oppressed".

[Pan_Yans Wife]

I have often mused that at a distant point in the future, the Arab Muslims who were bin Laden sympathizers would one day bemoan their allegiance to bin Laden. It cannot be an enjoyable experience to have the scrutiny of the US examining the entire Middle East.