Bin Laden Accuses Bush of Iraq Quagmire article

[Guest guest]

n

Fri, 05 Nov 2004 00:15:22 -0000

Subject:Bin Laden Accuses Bush of Iraq Quagmire article

 

 

Did anyone else read the following article at news:

 

http://news./news?

tmpl=story & u=/ap/20041104/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_bin_laden_tape_2 ???

Could it be that the media kept information about the recent Bin

Laden tape from the American people because it might have effected

the Bush re-election?

 

The article is also pasted below:

Bin Laden Accuses Bush of Iraq Quagmire

 

Wed Nov 3, 8:10 PM ET

 

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer

 

CAIRO, Egypt - Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)

claimed in new video footage broadcast Wednesday that President Bush

(news - web sites) ignored warnings against invading Iraq (news - web

sites) because he was dazzled by the country's " black gold " and ended

up leading the United States into a quagmire.

 

The full video, portions of which were broadcast Friday, was posted

on a Web site used by Islamic groups Wednesday. The tape show the

author of the Sept. 11 attacks accusing Bush of acting out of what he

calls " private " interests ­ and allusion to his oil business past.

 

Bush ignored the warnings because " the darkness of the black gold

blurred his vision and insight, and he gave priority to private

interests over the public interests of America, " bin Laden says in

the portions of the tape that the Arab network Al-Jazeera did not

broadcast Friday.

 

" The war went ahead. The death toll rose. The American economy bled,

and Bush became embroiled in the swamps of Iraq that threaten his

future, " bin Laden said.

 

Accusing America of oppressing and killing Arabs, bin Laden asks: " Is

defending oneself and punishing the aggressor objectionable as

terrorism? If it is, then it is unavoidable for us. "

 

Al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, published a transcript of the

full tape on its Web site on Monday. The transcript matches the video

posted on the Islamic Web site.

 

Analysts say bin Laden issued the tape in a bid to influence the U.S.

presidential elections, which took place four days after Al-Jazeera

broadcast it.

 

In another partial portion of the video released Monday, bin Laden

vowed to bleed America to bankruptcy, boasting that for every $1 al-

Qaida has spent on terrorist strikes, it has cost the United States

$1 million in economic fallout and military spending, including

emergency funding for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

 

" As for the size of the economic deficit, it has reached record

astronomical numbers, " bin Laden said, estimating the deficit at more

than $1 trillion.

 

Actually, the war against terror and other factors have resulted in

an expected $377 billion shortfall for 2003 ­ the highest deficit

since World War II accounting for inflation. The total U.S. national

debt is near the $7.4 trillion statutory limit.

 

The terror mastermind credited the religiously inspired Arab

volunteers that he fought with against the Soviets in Afghanistan

with having " bled Russia for 10 years, until it went bankrupt and was

forced to withdraw in defeat. " He suggested the same strategy would

work against the United States.