The video tape was manufactured.

[SlowwHand]

Uh, no.
If someone gripes at you, no matter what you do, how long do you care?
If you say anything other than you don't, I don't believe you.
It's the old "Damned if I do, damned if I don't, so piss on it".
Go ahead, p. Tell me I'm wrong.

[Dis]

I don't think so

Hollywood is capable of much better work. I like to think George Clooney could play OBL. but he might be too big. Hmm who should play OBL?

[SlowwHand]

Infatuation.


Joking. I'm ONLY joking.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Uh, no.
If someone gripes at you, no matter what you do, how long do you care?
If you say anything other than you don't, I don't believe you.
It's the old "Damned if I do, damned if I don't, so piss on it".
Go ahead, p. Tell me I'm wrong.

It's all part of being a superpower Slowwhand

[SlowwHand]

Bah! Humbug!

[Bereta_Eder]

[uh Clem]

Did the tape have the FBI warning at the beginning?

[Chris 62]

If it were faked, it would be of better quality and had a lengthy OBL confession sequence.

But I'm sure the kiddies and the reds will swear it's a fake.

[DanS]

The thing that convinced me that it was real was when he said the US thought a coup was happening on 9/11. Nobody in the US could even dream that up--the thought would require a non-US frame of reference.

I wonder whether those in the Arab world will find some similar shreds of authenticity.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by DanS
The thing that convinced me that it was real was when he said the US thought a coup was happening on 9/11

Very funny you should mention that. I had exactly the same though when I was reading the text. It was the one thing that didn't "click".

A coup? What did he mean? (BTW I don't thin it was OBL who said that). A coup against the government? That's not how it happens. I really didn't understand that comment.

BTW the way the "Shayke" (sp?) was saying Praised be Allah every now and then was to me very funny

Those people were the definition of religious fanatics. That's the impression I got from reading the text.

[Berzerker]

If you watch closely OBL's hand movements as he is describing the attack and the building's collapse, he not only tells us what he was hoping for (phony or not, i.e., dubbed), his hand movements showing the impact and collapse add even more evidence.

[DanS]

Don't get me wrong, there was a ton of confusion. But I don't think there was one person out of 280 million in the US who thought there was a coup going on.

Whoever said it, whether OBL or not, doesn't have a clear picture of much with regard to the US. I guess that's why they were so comfortable, in spite of the inevitability that they would have C130 gunships pounding their asses incessantly only a month later. I almost feel sorry for their happy naivete.

[Bereta_Eder]

I read very thoroughly the second part of the transcript. All other comments could be understood in the frame of religious fanatism. (visions, omens etc).

"Coup" was really alien.

All in all (if this tape is true) I think that, yes, OBL, ate more than he could chew (if you have that expression). He didn't have a full picture of what was going to follow and might have underestimated the force of the US answer.

But bare in mind that people like Mohamed Ata were studying in western countries and were wealthy. They did have an understanding. But it seems people in AL Qaeda did not, at least fully.

[Roland]

I don't really know what to make of it. I've only seen part of it yesterday night (after coming home from the pub... ehm... ), but some of the points:

- didn't expect building collapse: after the first WTC attack, you'd expect people to read up on impact of planes on skyscrapers, and collapse does not seem so farfetched. I found that part odd.

- the setup: If you carefully orchestrate appearances where you say "good idea, but it wasn't me", then why would you brag about it AND let yourself be filmed ?

- the sound: very poor quality. I'd like to know how much the supposed speaking fits the lip movement, and I want to see an independent source translation.

"Don't get me wrong, there was a ton of confusion. But I don't think there was one person out of 280 million in the US who thought there was a coup going on."

Odd, I was thinking of a coup. But then, I'm paranoid when it comes to governments and their agencies. However the thinking in terms of coups, just outside of the US... THE CIA!!!

[Dis]

but what I did get from the tape was they he did expect the buildings to collapse. He just didn't expect them to collapse completely (or nearly completely). Just the floors above the point of impact would collapse.