I was thinking about starting a pit thread just saying fuck off you bastard but then thought it could make a GD.
Now I think it should just be ignored but looking at this comments there are some people that take this seriously
So what should be the reaction?
And try to think of a situation where the US was pulled into a international fight by Europe and were offered such a deal. What would be the American political and public response to such an offer?
Wow, I wasn’t really thinking when I posted that. That’s right Americans you’ll have to really try hard to envision such a silly idea. I’m a twit. smacks himself on the forehead
Heh, but of course, we are too polite and genteel to ever mention those unfortunate wars… 
As low of an opinion as I have of certain W.European governments, I cannot see any of them taking such an ‘offer’ seriously. A bit humorous, sort of along the lines of Hess’ flight to the UK, but I couldn’t see anything actually coming out of this. If it were up to the people of certain W.European countries, on the other hand, the ‘offer’ may have had some traction.
If he had some halfway reasonable grievance or made a demand with some glimmer of justification visible, there might be some basis for negotiating a ceasefire.
But he hasn’t. It is all utterly fallacious dogma and paranoid hyperbole, coming from a man who has killed thousands of Muslims himself. The only reason one should listen to such nonsense is to find clues about possible future atrocities, or where he might be.
If he affects how you vote, he’s won his battle against you for a start.
It should be responded to with a mixture of contemptuous indifference and increased effort to catch and kill the man.
Of course it’s formulated absurdly vague, he’d always be able to find a loophole, and the idea that he should be able to control all Islamic terrorists is quite ridiculous, as is the idea that Bin Laden is a man that could be trusted to uphold his end of a bargain.
Personally I can’t help feel this offer/threat is linked to the Spaniards response to their bombings. I think they see they have had some success in driving a wedge in between Europe and America, and now they hope to widen the divide.
Don’t pay the Dane. Never negotiate with terrorists.
ps. Isn’t it somewhat ironic that you, of all people, should quote Caesar?
Though I’m loathe to quote Star Trek, this situtaion reminds me of “Space Seed” where Khan is getting desperate trying to get the Enterprise crew to “join him”.
They torture Kirk and no one budges, so he offers to spare the next victim if anyone of the bridge crew joins him.
I see bin Laden as desperate. We’re probably knocking on his door now, so he figures if any coalition troops bolt we would have to pull guys from Afghanistan/Pakistan to make up for it, allowing him to get away.
If anything now’s the time to squeeze that area more. Crush him and all his cowardly followers!
Careful with this fallacy; the Spanish electorate was against Iraqi involvement before the bombings.
I find it all very bizarre. Assuming ObL is actually alive I have never seen him comment in any negative way about any country except the US – and in relation to that one country he had/s very specific complaints.
Most of which Bush has been quietly addressing:
‘UN’ (sic) sanctions ended – check
US Forces out of Saudi – gittin’ thar
A Palestinian State – doin’ what I can, sur
Greater justice and less abuse of Islam via the World Bank and IMF 0- workin’ on that right now . . .
ObL has no issues with Europe, presumably including the UK despite it’s involvement in Iraq; ObL wanted Saddam removed and Blair was instrumental in that. I imagine the UK only becomes an issue for ObL if the UK overstays in Iraq.
That’s not to say they’re aren’t young Muslim’s in and near Europe who want a piece of the radical excitement and watch tooo many films, but that’s another cup of tea, altogether.
As for the Madrid bombings, do me a favour . . .
Perhaps so (and perhaps not). However it is in the sudden reversal in electorate fortune, quite inexplicable without the bombings, the dog is buried, and in that, the terrorists by all appearance see that as some sort of victory. Whether the terrorists’ conclusion was wrong, and their bombings in reality had no bearing whatsoever on the election outcome, we disagree on but is besides the point if they think it had, and now try to capitalize their “success.”
While you may not have seen it, UbL has a laundry list of countries he has a beef with. A number of them are ME countries. He even called for the deaths of members of the Iraqi Baathist Party, (presumably only those who’re unrepentant/unreformed).
The polls were not particularly clear on this, certainly no clearer than many other elections which confounded the pollsters, and even so the bombings merely drew attention to the issue of Iraq, on which the majority was already agreed - the bomb certainly didn’t change anyone’s mind.
It is perhaps regrettable that terrorism affected an election, but then again nobody could argue that 9/11 has not affected the upcoming US election. Again, the US withdrawal from Saudi could be counted by ObL as a “victory” in that respect, but his opinion counts for precisely nothing.
That isn’t the point. If ObL and crowd think it did, it will encourage them.
Well you’ll forgive me if I take purported “laundry lists” with a pinch of salt. Somehow I prefer the interview transcripts from three years ago.
And as for the Iraqi Baathist Party, are you nuts . . . he hated Saddam’s Baathists more than anyone ! Read the interviews, for goodness sake.
While I can smell a small measure of desperation, I think it ties back to something that occurred to me after the Madrid bombings. This isn’t so much an attempt to influence European voters to do OBL’s bidding but rather to make it that much harder for the Americans to garner European support. By making support of US actions carry the potential for reprisals OBL may be hoping to isolate the Americans from the rest of the world. I mean more so then they’ve already managed to do.
Well the lists come from UbL’s letters/proclamations. They reflect the changing times since 3 years ago.
I said that he wanted to kill them.
I’m missing the contradiction between hating them and wanting to kill them.
help please
I should clarify.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the timing of this piece of jiggery-pokery because it seems pretty clearly designed to encourage the European electorate to, in turn, encourage their politicians to distance themselves from Bush and US policy in the lead up to the US election, and at a time when the US is screaming out for actual or verbal support.
And some of the ‘Coallition of the Drilling’ are already backing out the Iraqi door, minus a few, now hostaged, citizens.
In that light, it’s a natural and neat move by . . . whoever. Shows a degree of nous on the part of the resistance in Iraq (and wider afield).
Means fuck all of course, but that’s the motive, I’d guess.
Actually reading the above thinking about it it does seem a pretty clever move.
Any meaningful vote against a government that supported the War or the US even minnows like Ireland who allowed landing and fly over rights could be claimed as a victory for Osama and friends.
Won’t stop me voting against the guys in government here though even though i gave them a pretty high preference the last time out.
In that case, almost any act might encourage ObL. Such as withdrawing troops from Saudi Arabia.
Happy news at last. Both Britan and Italy describe the “offer” as absurd. Go fuck a camel Osama!