Patterico's Pontifications

9/8/2007

Fisking Bin Laden

Filed under: Terrorism — DRJ @ 3:02 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Is it possible to fisk an Osama Bin Laden videotape? Absolutely, and NRO’s James S. Robbins shows us how:

The new bin Laden videotape is a great disappointment. No new threats, no new deals, just a new beard, if it is even real. Apart from being dyed, the shape is a departure from previous styles, and it looks a bit too full on the sides. Losing his beard would of course be counter to the Islamist orthodoxy, but the requirements of the life of the fugitive will out. Hasn’t al Qaeda instructed its operatives to shave, wear Western clothes, and hang out at strip clubs to allay suspicion?

His speech, such as it is, is an interesting fusion of pseudo-Marxism and standard Islamism, sprinkled with political sound bites that rob the address of whatever seriousness it might aspire to. The real terrorism is global warming and the failure to observe Kyoto! Please. And the bit about how Americans are suffering under credit card-debt and mortgage payments — it’s like his speech team is cribbing from the presidential debates. I really expect more from a terrorist mastermind.

Much more at the link …

10 Responses to “Fisking Bin Laden”

  1. As an old guy pushing 60, let me assure you that beards (which I have always had for maybe 30 years) do not get THICKER in your old age.

    Check the old picks of OBL, the check area was always thin and sparce.

    I have a Santa Clause style beard now, but it is still thinner than years ago.

    I say photoshop or a stage beard.

    Heck even the mustache looks crappy.

    SlimGuy (ea6549)

  2. Durn that was supposed to be cheek area.

    SlimGuy (ea6549)

  3. I don’t believe for one second that the video is authentic. Bin Laden’s dead and had been for years, in my opinion.

    Jerri Lynn Ward (bf2d8c)

  4. This sure seems more interesting:

    A Californian heavy metal fan, who converted to Islam and became the first American to be charged with treason in half a century, has been fingered as the author of Osama bin Laden’s latest video lecture – which left the terror chief sounding like an anti-globalisation protester.

    A former senior US intelligence official said: “It has Adam Gadahn written all over it.” Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer, said the tape left bin Laden with “the title of biggest gas bag in the terrorist world”.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/09/wladen109.xml

    steve (6810ef)

  5. Friday night on NBC Nightly News Brian Williams had some obvious fun declaring that OBL was now a pundit.

    And, from another point of view, Andrew Sullivan’s post is worth reading, if you haven’t seen it:
    http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/09/queer-eye-for-t.html

    kishnevi (0ffb02)

  6. K,

    Did you notice the ad at your Andrew Sullivan link? It’s a “Just For Men” mustache, beard and sideburn dye to cover grey.

    DRJ (2afbca)

  7. Cancel that – AS put the ad there. I thought the advertiser was blogger-friendly but, sadly, no.

    DRJ (2afbca)

  8. I’d rather we were frisking him. Just don’t make ME do it….

    Kevin Murphy (0b2493)

  9. Where’s MD in Philly when you need him? Don’t some immunosuppressants which OBL would be on if he had a kidney transplant do weird things to hair?

    nk (0c0cd0)

  10. I could have sworn I heard on the radio that this video had Osama bitching about how the Democrats had been elected to end the war but Donald Rumsfeld paid no price. Assuming the report and my memory are right (two big assumptions, I’ll grant), that sounds like Osama made a bunch of videos a couple of years back to handle every anticipated contingency – and dumping Rumsfeld wasn’t one of them.

    Xrlq (6c2116)


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