The Grecian Formula Terrorist

Osama released his latest tract and it must have proved a bit disappointing to him. Much of the response to his "teaching" was cackles of laughter. But with at least two other developments the situation we need to deal with in relation to what Osama represents came into greater focus during this week.

First, this new Osama mixes metaphors in odd ways. One commentator, James Robbins of National Review Online, commented "His speech, such as it is, is an interesting fusion of pseudo-Marxism and standard Islamism, sprinkled with political sound bites that rob the address of whatever seriousness it might aspire to. The real terrorism is global warming and the failure to observe Kyoto! Please. And the bit about how Americans are suffering under credit card-debt and mortgage payments — it’s like his speech team is cribbing from the presidential debates. I really expect more from a terrorist mastermind." Second, this "holy" man seems to be overly concerned about his appearance. Since his last Al Jazeera U-Tube presentation he's died his beard and he also seems to have trimmed it. I always thought pride was a vice - and who is he appealing to with the new younger look?

Robbins also makes the funniest comment I've seen on the tape- "It really must gall him that President Bush can fly into al-Anbar Province in Iraq, the former al Qaeda stronghold, while the only thing Osama can fly into is a rage." Because Osama's fifteen minutes seems to be over does not mean that the threat of radical Islam is not continuing.

Yesterday, Dennis Prager had as a guest the author of a book called My Year Inside Radical Islam by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross. I have not read the book but I found the hour of interview quite interesting. Gartenstein-Ross made a wonderful distinction between being a conservative in religion and a radical. The conservative is bound by rules. As a person moves from that position to the radical state the rules become more outside the norm. Gartenstein-Ross made a significant point about one step in his conversion where his colleagues in an Oregon mosque berated him because he wished to trim his beard for a national debate competition. I guess the rules which Osama lives under are different than those for lesser adherents to Islam. Ultimately, extremist views go out of style. People were not granted rational thought simply to ignore it.

Finally there was the beginning reaction to the report from General Petraeus. Senator Schumer, if he ever had any credibility outside of his narrow far left constituency, he preassessment of the situation in Iraq blew that away. Schumer made the outrageous claim that the only reason President Bush was able to go to areas which were previously quite dangerous was not because of the efforts of our troops but because the various factions decided the only way they could protect themselves was to take up the job themselves. Ultimately the initial reports about Petraeus' conclusions seem about right. We are doing pretty well with the military part of the "surge" but the political situation continues to be troubling. One hopes that the American political establishment will look at the Petraeus report and our resultant policy options with care. Clearly, all sides in the American discussions have done the same kind of metaphoric mish-mash that was evident in Osama's tape. We deserve better.