bin laden wants to take advantage of Bush's failings and further drive a wedge between Europe and the US. Seems like the large Europeans countries quashed the attempt. No word from France yet. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm.../20040415/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_bin_laden_tape
We need to fight attemts to drive a wedge between us and Europe. The only way we can be successful in the war on terror is to make sure that we have as much worldwide cooperation as possible.
If they are stupid enough to think a kook like OBL wants peace, they deserve whatever they get. And folks, it sure as hell won't be peace.
Publicity stunt, apparently only fools people who hate Europeans. Also, what about the Bushies: working with Iran, a member of the axis of evil that is also hiding nuclear tech from us and using them as our negotiating team in Iraq. A bit Neville Chamberlain like if they actually believe what they said about Iran, or maybe they never believed it at all, or they are just hypocrites, flip flopping all over the place.
Hey, the Bushies can rehabiliate terrorists and rogue nations at the drop of the hat, so why can't it work the other way? Pakistan, the worst proliferator of nuke tech in the world becomes our bestest pal, and now we are asking rogue nations Syrian and Iran to help us negotiate with that murderer Sadr. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3981900,00.html Syria Says U.S. Asked for Help With Iraq Thursday April 15, 2004 8:46 PM DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell has asked Syria's president to help in stabilizing Iraq, Syria's official news agency said Thursday.
This reminds me of that scene from Ghostbusters when the guy from the EPA demands that the containment grid be shut down. One of the Ghostbusters gets in the way of the technician... EPA Guy: If he does that again, officer, you can shoot him. Officer: You do your job, pencil-neck. Don't tell me how to do mine. If I represented Europe, that would basically be my response to Bin Laden. Not only is his suggestion moronic, it is incredibly insulting. My response as the collective EU would be a resounding, "Hey, OBL, why don't you go **** yourself!"
If I represented Europe, that would basically be my response to Bin Laden. Not only is his suggestion moronic, it is incredibly insulting. My response as the collective EU would be a resounding, "Hey, OBL, why don't you go **** yourself!" Actually they already have.
Has it occured to you ( or anyone) that the point of this offer might not be aimed at Europe, but Americans like you. Yes, in the unlikley event that European leaders respond directly to a mass murderer, that would create a greater division between the US and the rest of the planet. But much more likely is that many myopic Americans will see this offer as further evidence that Europe is soft, and reinforce the gap that we created in the first place? Think about it: who divided the US from the rest of the wordl, the rest of the world, or the US? So who would you look to to broaden the gap? The same kind of people who think we can do no wrong, irrespective of what everyone else thinks. The point OBL might be after is the very kind of response quoted above from that very kind pf person...
I suspect it is aimed at Muslims more than anyone (though MB's point is a nice bonus for OBL)... See OBL defend the Islamic holy lands form the invaders... at last we have someone who will stand up and make the infidels take notice kind of thing. I can't believe it is getting the press coverage it is because it is so clearly a publicity stunt.
Americans do, at least those who pay attention to more than what's for sale at Walmart, and some members of the Bush Administration, but not the President or those with influence on the guy. OBL is a rotten and clever s.o.b., but if he keeps doing these sorts of things, sooner or later he'll get caught or killed. What's a damn shame is that it will probably make little difference now, since the Administration has created, through it's inept diplomacy, a whole host of Osama want-a-be's. And inept is a very charitable discription... the words I would prefer would probably get me booted.
As Deckard mentioned, many in the US do, including many in both political parties. Turn the tables. For example, does Chirac give a flip about what the US thinks or wants? No. And he probably gets accolades in his country for ignoring US interests. I don't argue for our leaders to ignore all others, but the hyprocrisy exhibited by many foreign nations/nationals is just as unacceptable.
I'm pretty sure that, like a good trial attorney, OBL knows what the answer to his "truce" will be: refusal. Now he can use the E.U.'s refusal of his "peace offering" as a sort of "well, I tried to make peace but they didn't want it" excuse to Muslim’s who listen to him for the bombs that he’s probably going to set off in Europe. I think he feels he's been successful in his megalomaniacal goals with regard to the U.S. so, encouraged by this, he's going to "expand" his horizons into the E.U. Bin Laden, like Hitler, is not fighting for Muslim or human rights or soldiers on "holy land" or any of that nonsense. He's doing this to satisfy his ego and using the above arguments to rationalize it to stupid people. Don't kid yourself. There's nothing anyone can do (short of killing OBL) that will stop him.
