What Was the Real Message of Osama?

By Ali Sina

For two years Osama bin Laden remained in hiding. No one heard a word from him, to the extent that many thought he could be dead. Suddenly, in the eve of the American presidential elections, this terrorist came out of his hole with an ominous message.  

Those who analyzed the tape concluded that there was no hint of a specific threat. But they are mistaken. We'll get to that later. For now let us assume they are right. In that case what was the message? Did this terrorist come out to say that he is impartial in this election? 

Osama miscalculated the President’s resolve to fight terrorism when he masterminded the 9/11 dastardly attack. He never expected America to launch a war on a sovereign country just because a few thousand Americans are killed. For a while he played hide n seek, while his Taliban buddies demanded America for proof that he did it. America's response exceeded this criminal's wildest expectations. He had attacked America on various occasions during the Clinton Administration but the reaction was never this bad. He is now reduced to a shadow of what he was. From being a de facto ruler of a country, prior to 9/11 and having a base (al Qaeda means base) for training the terrorists, he is now a terrorist on the run. From his Qaeda, only a name is left and he is forced to live like a rat and hide in caves and holes dug in the ground. He misses the gentle America. One that was less menacing and more compromising. Bush is a wrong president as far as he is concerned.

Kerry is also a ‘filthy infidel American’ it is not that Osama likes him more. But he is still an enigma. Bush on the other hand is ‘crazy’. With Bush as the president, the cause of terrorism will suffer a great deal. By the look of it, Kerry is more sensible. He has promised to fight the terrorists with "sensitivity". This raises the hope that the Senator maybe a more reasonable person and inshaAllah easier to get along with? Mr. Kerry has said that he would first seek the UN approval before starting a war. That is the kind of man that should lead America, not a cowboy that shoots the Muslims fighters and launches preemptive wars on sovereign countries that support them, has no respect for the UN and even disregards the wishes of America’s good allies such as the French and the Germans. Kerry would never do such things. While this uneducated Texan president thinks killing a few thousand Americans is the end of the world, Kerry is an intellectual; he knows that terrorism is just a nuisance - no worse than gambling and prostitution.

So, did Osama come out of his hole to say that he is impartial in this election and he does not want to influence the Americans voters? One must be really naïve to believe that. The very fact that he comes out to send a message in the eve of the elections is proof that he cares very much who is elected. He said that the only way for Americans to remain safe is if they do not "harm our security". Was America harming their security prior to 9/11? Or was it the other way round and the terrorists became bold and attacked precisely because their security was not harmed?

It is clear that Osama is watching this election nervously. The outcome of this election could determine his success or defeat.

A member of FFI gave another reason for the sudden appearance of Osama. This is what this friend wrote: 

"Osama likely knows Kerry's argument that Bush let Osama escape at Tora Bora. So Osama appearing now just reinforces Kerry's argument against Bush. He is saying I'm still around and Bush didn't get me." 

The same friend added:

"Of course, Kerry said at the time of Tora Bora that he thought our military strategy was a good one (what a hypocrite to criticize it now!), and it was never proven that Osama was there at all. Kerry would likely still have been negotiating with the Taliban if he had been President.”

But Osama did not stop there. In fact he had a very ominous message for the American voters. He actually made it very clear that those states that vote for Bush will be targeted for terrorism. This is what he said:

“Your security is in your own hands and each state which does not harm our security will remain safe. ”  

It seems to be clear what this terrorist wants the American voters to do. He is telling them that those states that elect Bush are considered as “harming our security” and therefore will be risking their own security.

The Muslim Terrorists are obviously not that indifferent to this election. They have high stakes in it and they want Americans to follow their orders and not vote for Bush or prepare themselves for retaliation and terrorist attacks. 

Osama decided who the Spaniards should choose as their prime minister and they complied. Now he is telling the Americans whom they should not elect as their president. Would the Americans comply too?  Osama won in Spain. Will he win also in America?  We shall see that tomorrow.

Related articles:

•  Send a Message to bin Laden, Vote Bush! Judson Cox 2004/11/01 

•  Terrorists Reduced to Terror Tapes Amber Pawlik 2004/11/01