Bin Laden and the election year?

[Artemis]

Read this

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040228_266.html

If true, US forces have partitioned off an area in which Osama Bin Laden hides. The Bush administration may be waiting until closer to November or < 40% approval, at which point they give the order to have Osama arrested and publicly announced. Part of me wants to belive that no US leader would attempt to manipulate the public like this for the sake of an election, but it seems quite logical and within the character of this current administration...

The hardline Bush supporters will call this story some sort of "Liberal Propaganda" but look at the sources:

1. Iran's state radio
2. The Pakistani English Paper The Nation
3. The Associated Press

[endymion]

This is interesting, thanks for posting this. I am still trying really hard to believe that the Administration isn't really that evil and that it's all somehow just a big misunderstanding. The whole idea of using Osama bin Laden as an election stage prop after already using the memory 9/11 as Iraq propaganda is something that I consider truly Evil with a capital 'E'. That should especially piss off New Yorkers.

Keep in mind that the Associated Press is not asserting that Osama bin Laden has been captured. The Associated Press is asserting that some guy in Iraq is telling people on the radio that Osama bin Laden has been captured. Big difference. I do believe that there is a guy in Iran saying that. I don't necessarily believe that it's true.

If you're a guy in Iran from a background closely affiliated with the Pashtun in Afghanistan that Osama bin Laden was hanging out with, then you probably have all kinds of nasty things to say about Bush and the US. You probably have all kinds of crackpot conspiracy theories in your head that are wackier than any of the stuff that I have been spouting about the blurry line between combat and genocide. If you were the Iranian version of Saleen then you might flap your mouth loudly on state-run radio about your theory that Osama bin Laden has already been captured. It would be easy for you to do that because the local government supports your perspective on Bush and the US. This is a news story about what's on the Iranian version of Howard Stern this week.

...which I do find very interesting. It has to be a good sign that the Iranian Howard Stern is talking about a rumor that it's common knowledge in the area that bin Laden is basically roped off. That's cool, man. Pin the fucker down.

[JMT]

good points here.

[V. Barbarino]

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