Webloggin » Bin Laden, The Calm Before The Storm?

With the new push to find Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri, folks are wondering why we have not heard from Osama lately. Why have we not heard from him? Crusade Media suggests it is the calm before the storm, that perhaps bin Laden is involved in final preparations for the next major attack on the United States. A frightening thought. Hat tip Alan.

Regarding the frequent dealing with media outlets, one of Bin Laden’s sons quoted his father as having repeatedly said, “Overexposure is burdensome”. Notwithstanding, observers will have noticed that al Qaeda’s leader did not comply with this saying – in fact, he was a media star since the mid-1990s until last year.

The fear is that the man may be keeping silent as the calm before the storm as he prepares for another catastrophe, a new one that will lead the world into wider circles of conflict that claim other victims, bringing about greater international conflicts than the ones we witnessed after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.

Is it possible that our intelligence agencies have gotten wind of just such a plot and that is why the search for bin Laden has now been given high priority? Is that why we are finally, and publicly, going into Pakistan and the Waziristan regions with new assets of all sorts?

Bin Laden’s name is only causally mentioned in the American political- and media- discourse. The search efforts for him have certainly not ceased, but they have been brought out from under the spotlight. We no longer come across even intelligence leaks indicating Bin Laden’s whereabouts, or the capture of any person linked to him.

The strange fact remains that Bin Laden’s deputy, [Ayman] al Zawahiri, has not yet designated a weekly time slot for his media appearance, with his transformation into political commentator on regional events, not letting anything escape without commenting on it – and issuing fatwas and instigating killing and destruction, of course. Evidently, Bin Laden’s hypothesis about overexposure has not been relevant to him!

If they endure, Bin Laden’s silence and eerie disappearance will make a sumptuous meal for conspiracy theory-mongers who will capitalize on that greatly. His long absence will also prompt one to ponder the reasons and the motive behind al Qaeda leader’s silence this time. If he does emerge one day or another to deliver a speech or pass a comment, the reception will certainly be unwelcoming.

These thoughts make the search for bin Laden take on an increased urgency. We have become complacent with the over-abundance of videos and tapes from Zawahiri. We barely pay attention to them any more, with a ho-hum attitude. Should bin-Laden release a new tape, would it strike fear in the hearts of the left, who don’t take this war on terror seriously?

Something to think about.

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