When bin Laden released a statement following the US military action in Afghanistan, there was hesitation on the part of the Bush Admin. to admit its authenticity. Some analysts have said this was because Bush and Co. did not want to admit the object of the war in Afghanistan, to capture or kill OBL, had failed.
Now, with the release of this newest tape, some analysts say the Bush Admin's eagerness to attribute it to OBL is because of the propaganda function the tape could serve. It could serve to "link" OBL with Iraq. Therefore, its authenticity is not in question.
But, doesn't this tape, which calls Saddam Hussein a socialist infidel, perform a poor service in this regard? It doesn't appear to have convince the US public that there's a link betwwen SH and OBL.
Brian
On Tue, 18 Feb 2003, Michael Pollak wrote:
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> http://tinyurl.com/5zui
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> Journalists from al-Jazeera are perplexed by the statement from al-Qaida
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> Thursday, February 13, 2003
> LE MONDE