Osama offers a deal?

In the latest tape supposedly received by Al-Jazeera from Osama Bin Ladin the Al-Qaeda leader makes a status assessment, offers a truce and makes a threat.

So of course the media has focused on the threat which is made in passing. The main thrust of Osama’s message is that they’re winning and we’re losing. The threat comes in when Osama explains that the lack of attacks in the U.S. isn’t because our security is suddenly so wonderful.

“As for the delay in carrying out similar operations in America, this was not due to the failure to breach your security measures.”

Considering that a retarded mouse with dynamite strapped to its back could probably get past “Homeland Insecurity” I can’t really argue with this one.

“Operations are in preparation and you will see them on your own ground once the preparations are finished, God willing.”

Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep my eyes open for anything suspicious and put in a stock of 7.62 mm ammo.

More interesting to my mind is the offer of a truce based upon the fact that the majority of Americans now favor the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

“…but he (Bush) objected to this desire and said that the withdrawal of troops would send the wrong message to the enemy.”

I heard the same crap during Vietnam. The claim that demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of American troops was aiding the enemy. It was nonsense then and it’s nonsense now.

“Bush said: It is better to fight them on their ground than they fighting us on our ground.”

Yeah, but better would be not fighting at all wouldn’t it?

“However, the argument that he avoided, which is the substance of the results of opinion polls on withdrawing the troops, is that it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land and for them not to fight us on our land.”

Yes, peace is better than war. Oh wonderful, now I’m in agreement with Osama. You know it’s really bad when a certified fruitcake sounds more rational than the President of the United States.

“We do not object to a long-term truce with you on the basis of fair conditions that we respect.”

One wonders what conditions you would consider “fair” however?

“We are a nation to which God has disallowed treachery and lying.”

Hmmm, you sure don’t act that way though do you? Then again, this is sort of irrelevant as we’re going to watch you like a hawk truce or no truce.

“In this truce, both parties will enjoy security and stability and we will build Iraq and Afghanistan which were destroyed by the war.”

That works for me IF exactly how Iraq and Afghanistan get rebuilt is a part of the “fair conditions.” I would really like to avoid fighting another war in that region.

While “don’t negotiate with Terrorists” is a good rule of thumb, if the Israeli’s can sit down with the Palestinians, why can’t we work out a peaceful solution with Al-Qaeda? We’re certainly not going to let down what little guard we have nor reduce our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan while we’re talking so what do we have to lose?

What the hell, send Condi over to talk to them. What’s the worst that could happen, they machine gun Rice? That would be no great loss.

The tape doesn't mention the strike in Pakistan, but one has to wonder if there was some relationship. Or if, perhaps more likely, this is the result of conversations between the U.S. and the home grown Iraqi Insurgents who have reportedly had clashes with Al-Qaeda backed groups. About the last thing Al-Qaeda would want is an agreement between the U.S. and the Iraqi Insurgents that leaves them on the outside looking in and the enemy of both.

Let's face it, a truce and withdrawal of U.S. forces would open both Iraq and Afghanistan to fundamentalist Muslim Regimes. The bad news is that this could happen about twelve minutes after we withdraw anytime in the future too.

That was the whole goddamn problem with going after Hussein to begin with. It opened the door to Muslim Fundamentalism becoming entrenched in the whole region and then spreading to other Arab countries until the entire Middle East and North Africa formed a new Islamic Empire. A very hostile Islamic Empire with a stranglehold over the economy of the world because of it's control of the oil supply.

The longer we stay, the more pissed off these people are going to be, the more likely the spread of Muslim Fundamentalism is going to be and the more hostile to the west any emerging Islamic Empire is going to be.

Would you like me to speculate upon whose armies will be meeting at Armageddon under these conditions? Crap, it almost sounds like Bush and company are choreographing an End Times scenario doesn't it?