I saw some interesting comments re: this tape.
One Republican said "this will remind the American people that he is still out there and George is the one to get him bla bla bla". The reply to that was "this will remind the American people that he's still out there and George hasn't got him yet".
That one is a bit of a saw-off.
Walter Cronkhite was on Larry King and he was on about how this tape and it's presentation could be the beginning of an effort to get Osama a place at the table as an actual statesman and negotiator -- there is a "leadership vacuum" in the Middle East and he'd like to fill it. Yeah - good luck with that OBL.
He also commented on how it was a threat, but kind of indirectly, and it left some room for compromise. Cronkhite saw the message as "you stop doing what you are doing, you will not be attacked" as opposed to the old fashioned "we will attack you with all the fury and the hatred and death et cetera" that is so familiar.
I can't remember who it was, but someone mentioned (perhaps jokingly, but not 100%) that Karl Rove was behind this because they want to get that pesky missing weapons story off the front page.
My take on it -- there is so much garbage raining down from the heavens every couple hours that this tape will have zero effect on the election. Average Jane/Joe just can't keep up and even if they wanted to they already made up their mind. Some message from a fanatic stuck in the mountains eating raw goat and crapping in his own cave isn't going to change their mind.
Oh yeah, and just for good measure, I'll tell you that old Cronkhite said that he doesn't think this election will be decided until springtime, and the Supreme Court will be making the call. If the NHL doesn't come back, at least we'll have a diversion. I wonder now who will be the first to say "yeah, but you are no constitutional expert so what the hell do you know"? Probably me.
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