Bin Laden - Long Time No See

There was enough promotion for the latest video release to make Disney jealous. The image used to promote the video message purportedly by Osama bin Laden is considered suspect.

The image presented by as Sahab, the media arm of al Qaeda, contains certain characteristics that strongly suggest that the 2007 image of bin Laden sporting a darker beard was done via computer enhancements, not hair dye. Other elements of the image are also raising questions and are under analysis. It appears, however, that the as Sahab image of bin Laden has been deliberately manipulated by computer, possibly in an effort to make the al Qaeda figure appear more robust than in previous footage.

According to the transcript, which can be viewed by clicking here, bin Laden opens with "praise to Allah" and his "law of retaliation" -- "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and the killer is killed."

He says to the American people, "you made one of your greatest mistakes, in that you neither brought to account nor punished those who waged this war, not even the most violent of its murderers, [former Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld…"

"You permitted Bush to complete his first term, and stranger still, chose him for a second term, which gave him a clear mandate from you -- with your full knowledge and consent -- to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then you claim to be innocent! The innocence of yours is like my innocence of the blood of your sons on the 11th -- were I to claim such a thing."

According to the transcript, bin Laden says there are two ways to end the war:
"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you."
The second is to do away with the American democratic system of government. "It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations."

Thanks for your suggestions UBL.