They seek him here.....
A story has just gone up on the BBC News website reporting that General Musharraf the president of Pakistan admits that they have lost the trail of Osama Bin Laden, having had a good chance to capture him last year.
It struck me as odd, because in January 2002, the very same General Musharraf told CNN that Bin Laden was dead. The Israeli intelligence agency think he's dead as well. The old Taleban, his former best mates and protectors reported his death and funeral in December 2001. Even President Bush, in March 2002 stated that Bin Laden was not a threat to the US and that he was no longer concerned. A more confident man may even have declared that the war on terrorism was over.
But guess what happened instead. A couple of weeks before last year's election, with Bush trailing in the polls, up pops a new 'Bin Laden' video. Far from reminding the US people that Bush had spectacularly failed in his pledge, made on the wreckage of the Twin Towers no less, to get the man reported to be responsible (and there are huge doubts), Bush actually went up in the polls. This was because he took the chance to remind people how unsafe they were, that America was at war and only he could prevent further terrorist attacks. Instead of pointing out what a terrible job he had done in preventing the last one, a compliant media fed the lies and the propaganda. The election machine rolled on. Bush remained president.
What a stroke of luck. Wasn’t it? It wasn’t anything more sinister was it? Who benefits from the myth of Bin Laden and al-Qaeda? Which country’s arms industry is making a fortune fighting terrorism? Which incompetent, half @rsed joke of a world leader was re-elected partly through fear of the bearded bogey man? Answers on a postcard please.
It struck me as odd, because in January 2002, the very same General Musharraf told CNN that Bin Laden was dead. The Israeli intelligence agency think he's dead as well. The old Taleban, his former best mates and protectors reported his death and funeral in December 2001. Even President Bush, in March 2002 stated that Bin Laden was not a threat to the US and that he was no longer concerned. A more confident man may even have declared that the war on terrorism was over.
But guess what happened instead. A couple of weeks before last year's election, with Bush trailing in the polls, up pops a new 'Bin Laden' video. Far from reminding the US people that Bush had spectacularly failed in his pledge, made on the wreckage of the Twin Towers no less, to get the man reported to be responsible (and there are huge doubts), Bush actually went up in the polls. This was because he took the chance to remind people how unsafe they were, that America was at war and only he could prevent further terrorist attacks. Instead of pointing out what a terrible job he had done in preventing the last one, a compliant media fed the lies and the propaganda. The election machine rolled on. Bush remained president.
What a stroke of luck. Wasn’t it? It wasn’t anything more sinister was it? Who benefits from the myth of Bin Laden and al-Qaeda? Which country’s arms industry is making a fortune fighting terrorism? Which incompetent, half @rsed joke of a world leader was re-elected partly through fear of the bearded bogey man? Answers on a postcard please.
posted by phylos @ 10:03
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