by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright January 20, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

our years after Sept. 11, global terrorist Osama bin Laden and key members of his Al Qaeda terror organization—including the Taliban's one-eyed leader Mullah Mohammad Omar—remain at large. After spending over $500 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bin Laden and his chief lieutenant Egyptian Ayman Al-Zawahiri continue to menace the United States and its allies. Despite detailed maps of his cave-complexes and his likely whereabouts, Bin Laden has managed to elude the CIA, U.S. special forces, Pakistani security and foreign intelligence, all of which have been hot on his heels since Sept. 11. Somehow Bin Laden manages to get his message out on Qatar-based Middle East media outlet Al Jazeera, where he and Al-Zawahiri threaten the West. Devastating attacks in Spain and London remind skeptics that Bin Laden still presents a dangerous threat to U.S. interests.

      U.S. authorities spend too much time authenticating Bin Laden's public remarks, or, for that matter, disparaging his impact and too little resources tracking him down. Downplaying his “significance” or calling him “desperate” or “irrelevant” doesn't discount that the renegade Saudi terrorist still commands powerful propaganda value, especially eluding the U.S. over the past four years. “Operations are in preparation and you will see them on your own ground once the preparations are finished,” Bin Laden said on a new audiotape played on Al Jazeera. Vice President Dick Cheney called Bin Laden's statement “a serious threat,” acknowledging indirectly the failure of the White House terror policy. Cheney frequently cites the lack of terrorism on U.S. soil since 9/11 as proof of the administration's success. Bin Laden's remarks explain why the U.S. hasn't yet been hit.

      Calling for a truce, Bin Laden acts as if the U.S. grants Al Qaeda diplomatic status, attesting, if nothing else, to his pathological grandiosity. “We don't mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions,” Bin Laden said, prompting a swift response from the White House. “We do not negotiate with terrorists,” said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan, “ we put them out of business.” Holding any dialogue with Bin Laden hands the terrorist mastermind a major public relations coup. Listening to his communiqués four years after Sept. 11 sickens those seeing Iraq as a misguided detour. While the U.S. battles Al Qaeda's man in Iraq, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, Bin Laden thrives in the lawless frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bin Laden delights watching the U.S. take a beating, emphasizing “repeated errors your President Bush has committed” fighting in Iraq.

      Bin Laden's latest message attempts to resuscitate Al Qaeda's flagging image, especially after a recent CIA attack in Western Pakistan from a “predator drone,” reportedly killing some of the group's hierarchy. “That's a wonderful propaganda ploy,” said Paul Pillar, former deputy chief of the CIA's counterterrorism center, offering Bush a phony truce. “He's portraying himself and his organization as a legitimate actor in international affairs,” said Pillar, highlighting how the slippery terrorist still controls propaganda on the world stage. Bin Laden and Zawahiri should have been liquidated years ago, leaving the U.S. embarrassed. There's no silver lining over the fact that terrorism hasn't hit on American soil. Bin Laden out-duels the White House on information warfare. Out-foxing and surviving the U.S. military's relentless pursuit immortalizes Bin Laden to mythic proportions.

      If there's anything worthwhile in Bin Laden's latest rant, it's that the U.S. took its eye off the ball in Iraq. Battling Zarqawi keeps the pressure off Bin Laden, whose daughter once predicted after Sept. 11 that the U.S. military would never get her clever father. Filing fresh propaganda with Al Jazeera recruits more jihadists to fight U.S. occupation. Iraq's stable of suicide bombers reveals that Al Qaeda has no trouble recruiting more programmed assassins. Pakistan's president Pervez Musharif has his hands full, containing Islamic extremists furious over the CIA's recent attack in Western Pakistan. Whether the attacks actually killed Al Qaeda's chief bomb maker and chemical weapons expert Abu Khabab Masri is anyone's guess. Dominating the headlines, Bin Laden showed he controls the airwaves, promoting the Iraq war as a costly detour and trap for U.S. forces.

      Bin Laden's new message invites endless interpretations, regarding its authenticity but, more importantly, whether it signals his next move. Capturing the publicity, Bin Laden invites experts to speculate about his operational sophistication. “We clearly understand that we have a very real threat against the United States, United States interests here and abroad,” said Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales, acknowledging that Bin Laden poses more a threat than ever. No one knows for sure whether Bin Laden's latest message foretells the next terrorist threat or whether he's looking for maximum propaganda value. Bin Laden's latest warning should remind the U.S. to refocus efforts on the terrorist responsible for Sept. 11. While there's nothing wrong with getting rid of Saddam, there's something very wrong detouring from Bin Laden, getting mired in Iraq and ignoring a growing Iranian nuclear threat.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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