Bin Laden in English

The first collection of all Bin Laden's public statements in English is now available. Mary Braid has the story. $Q: ...It reveals why he thinks one of his biggest assets is the foreign policy of the Bush White House; the point at which his revolutionary Islamic fervour tipped over into megalomania; and answers the question that constantly nags away at Western security services: do his messages to his followers contain coded messages? It should be required reading for administration officials. Required because President Bush wears his ignorance of the enemy like a badge. As Pat Buchanan noted, OBL didn't all of a sudden stumble across the Declaration of Independence and go berserk. Studies of suicide bombing show it is inevitably a reaction to an occupation, real or perceived. Of course the "terrorist sympathizer" spit-ball will be tossed at anyone who dares cut deeper than the Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker model the administration favors to describe the struggle. Let them toss away. To dismiss the enemy's core motivations when they are right under your nose is careless, irresponsible, and self-defeating. And it's becoming more apparent everyday.