He's Back

Another week of rhetoric about "progress" in Iraq, threats toward Iran, and preparation for the annual 9/11 memorials, and look who shows up:

CAIRO, Egypt September 7, 2007, 6:35 a.m. ET · The first new images of Osama bin Laden in nearly three years will be released ahead of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida's media arm announced, a move that would end the terror mastermind's longest period without a message.

The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday it had no credible information warning of an imminent threat to the United States, and analysts noted that al-Qaida tends to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary with a slew of messages.

Still, bin Laden's appearance would be significant. The al-Qaida leader has not appeared in new video footage since October 2004, and he has not put out a new audiotape in more than a year.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14221565

The man behind the attacks of 9/11 is still out there six years later. The person who DID declare war on us:(from bin Laden's 1998 fatwa)

All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in "Al- Mughni," Imam al-Kisa'i in "Al-Bada'i," al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam in his books, where he said: "As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life." On that basis, and in compliance with God's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims:

The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty God, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1998.html

Our shrub was intent on war with Iraq rather than the people who attacked us. There was NO al-Qaeda in Iraq before the 2003 invasion. While it's unclear exactly where bin Laden is now, it certainly isn't in Iraq.

Osama couldn't have had a better ally than our shrub. If we had a sensible president, every resource available would be in pursuit of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. He should have been killed or captured years ago.

Bin Laden's al-Qaeda was, and is, a real threat. Richard Clarke understood this, and tried to warn our shrub, without success. The media likes to portray bin Laden as a cave dwelling madman, but the reality is more dangerous. He's a wealthy, well educated, fanatic. He has been very clear about stating his goals and how he plans to achieve them.

Our leadership has failed miserably. Rather than counter the real threat, they have created countless new threats.

We deserve better.

Added: The CIA now claims to have a copy of the tape, and that they're analyzing it:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has obtained a copy of a purported new videotape of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and is studying it, U.S. officials said on Friday."We can confirm that the U.S. government has the video and it is being analyzed," one official said on condition of anonymity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070907/ts_nm/security_binladen_tape_dc

One clue they should look at is the apparent lack of grey in bin Laden's beard. It's a common Arabic practice to use hair dye to cover grey, and this could be a sign that he's in a more civilized area than he was in the recent past.