Taliban chief: Bin Laden alive and well
Maybe so. Or not. I do know it's been an awfully long time since we've heard any scratchy cassette tape recordings of his disembodied voice. And let's face it--in a world awash with video recorders, it just seems chintzy of him not to favor us with a viewing. Maybe holding the latest edition of a newspaper.
Not to say that Islamist terror isn't still a real problem--it is. But it also is, and always has been, much larger than just Bin Laden. The breathless denunciations and smug castigations from certain quarters, spouted by those who seem to take perverse pride in defeatism, miss the point. If he's dead, we can't catch a ghost, and to continue to give him attention gives him unnecessary credence. If he's alive, he's been rendered ineffectual by our efforts, but continued obsession directed solely at him again gives him more credit than he deserves, and distracts from the broader goals we should be fighting for.
Anyway, for what it's worth, even if he is alive, I bet he doesn't get to walk downtown at lunch and go have lunch with his friends. What sort of victory is that?
Posted by Terry Oglesby at June 15, 2005 10:34 AM