Organizing for America | Mike Serfas' Blog: Defusing the bomb: Osama bin Laden's push for Bush

Defusing the bomb: Osama bin Laden's push for Bush

By Mike Serfas - Aug 28th, 2008 at 12:24 pm EDT

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There were many good reasons to dispute the 2004 election result, with its tight margins and culpable irregularities. But many people forget how important Osama bin Laden was in helping Bush get votes at the last moment.

According to one poll, Osama bin Laden's videotape from October 29, 2004 moved Bush from a dead heat to a position six points ahead of Kerry. Polls vary, but the bottom line remains: thousands, maybe millions of Americans allowed themselves to be duped, with childish ease, by our country's worst enemy - to vote for our country's second-worst enemy.

It's not that Osama bin Laden can't sound liberal, even funny at times. He is not worthy to speak the name of Noam Chomsky, but he has done so. He recommends books by authors who sharply criticize American policy and mocks the failed strategies of the Bush administration. If he were a talk radio host you'd tuned into for the first time, the first few sentences might not sound bad. The problem is that he is a mass murderer, who really has far more in common with the Republicans - but who finds it useful to tar the Democrats by association.

If Osama gifts us with another last-minute video political bomb before the election, we can't allow precious minutes to tick away while we try to get our tools together. We must be ready in advance to defuse it before the timer goes off and Osama once again has a laugh about our great system of democracy. We should remember that the usefulness of the Republicans to Osama bin Laden dates all the way back to his beginning:

The Reagan administration created Osama's power base, propping up the mujaheddin to fight against a largely imaginary Soviet threat. Though I doubt it, some even say that the name al-Qaida ("the base") literally meant the database of mujaheddin recruited and trained by the CIA.
The Republicans likewise were willing to deal extensively with radical Islamists in the Iran-Contra scandal. We should remember that in many of their meetings, such as the exchange with the Bible and the key-shaped cake, that they sat down with Iranians and cheerfully agreed that there is great similarity between Iranian theocracy and the religious 'conservativism' of their own party.
Though the proof that surfaced never convinced everyone, the arms-for-no-hostages agreement that is said to have preceded the Iran-Contra deal involved Casey and other members of the Reagan campaign meeting with Iran and making a deal with them to release the hostages... only after the election. If true, it is a prime example both of an "October surprise" and collusion between Republicans and radical Islam. Even if the U.S.Congress doesn't believe the story, Iranian president Bani Sadr did.
Like Bush, McCain, and Romney, Osama bin Laden comes from a wealthy, prominent family with a history of political strength.
Last but not least, the actual effect of Osama bin Laden's video was to push Bush into a second term, which he spent resolutely fighting anyone but al-Qaida. He even disbanded the unit to look for Osama bin Laden and left Afghanistan to a resurgent Taliban.

By comparison, let's ask what liberals have in common with Osama bin Laden:

Liberals believe in complete equality of the sexes. Osama believes in throwing acid in the faces of women who won't wear the veil, and not allowing them to do much of anything outside the home.
Liberals believe in a total end to water boarding and any other form of torture. Next to making videotapes, Osama's people's favorite recreation is cutting off the heads of defenseless hostages.
Liberals have always bitterly criticized attacks that cause civilian casualties such as cluster bombs, land mines, Contra terrorism, nuclear weapons, even bombing from the air like what John McCain did. Everyone knows where Osama stands on that.
Liberals believe in gay marriage. Osama believes in gays being stoned to death.

So what do liberals and Osama bin Laden have in common? Hatred for the Bush administration. But that's not very notable, because the whole world hates the Bush administration.

Let's agree now: let's not be fooled, let's not be slow - the moment Osama pops up out of his hole and delivers some mock endorsement of Obama, we need to come out swinging. If we have any trace of self-respect we can't allow him to have another four years with his friends laughing at how simple it is to trick us and subvert our democracy.

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