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[One might wonder about the reluctance to release this tape if they are so sure about what it proves. Do they need more time to doctor it or does talking about a tape without showing it work better than letting people actually see it? Even if the tape shows exactly what they claim it does, this does not conclusively prove the real issue; who was really behind 9/11. No one seriously doubts bin Laden and Co. were involved, but the issue remains about who was behind them. Now Bush and Co. admit that the hijackers were not suicide bombers but were themselves being deceived (deceived according to Bush, by bin Laden. Would a fanatic who convinces people to become martyrs for a cause publicly joke about them not even knowing they were going to die? Such behavior certainly wouldn't help his cause). Lastly, pre-knowledge of the attack does not prove bin Laden did it. Everyone from the CIA, FBI and numerous foreign intelligence agencies to school kids in NYC apparantly knew about the 9/11 attacks beforehand. If bin Laden made comments as described in this article they are no more proof of his being the mastermind than are Bush's comments on the very same day about hitting the Trifecta. -RL]
12/10/2001
US Weighs Release of bin Laden Tape
By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush (news - web sites) and his National Security Council, having reviewed a videotape that reportedly shows Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) relishing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, remained ambivalent Monday over whether to make the tape public.
Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said the tape shows clearly that bin Laden was behind the attacks on New York and Washington.
On the one hand, Bush ``wants to share information with the American people. He thinks it's important for people to know what Osama bin Laden has said in this regard,'' White House press secretary Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said.
``On the other side, we have not sought opportunities to provide Osama bin Laden with air time, TV time.''
Bush has seen the tape and read a translation of its contents, which are disgusting, Fleischer said.
``The president's reaction was this shows everything that we've always known - that Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks against our country, and what an evil man anybody could be to be satisfied and find joy in the killing of thousands of innocents.''
The Bush administration is weighing whether to make public the tape in which bin Laden says he was pleasantly surprised by the extent of damage from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The tape was discovered during the search of a private home in Jalalabad, Afghanistan (news - web sites).
The suspected mastermind of those suicide hijackings recalls tuning in to news shows that day and waiting to hear reports about the destruction, a U.S. official said.
Bin Laden also says that after the first plane struck, he told those with him that more devastation was coming. Some of his comments suggest that not all the hijackers knew they would die. ``He claims piety by leading people to deaths that they very well were not aware of,'' Fleischer said.
This video is different from earlier footage that administration officials thought contained coded messages for bin Laden operatives outside Afghanistan, Fleischer said. ``This does not appear to be prepackaged propaganda. This appears to be a conversation that was taped when he was talking with other people.''
A key consideration for the administration is whether releasing the tape would help win over Muslims who doubt the veracity of U.S. claims that bin Laden was behind the attacks.
Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Monday the tape should be made public. ``I believe if you have a choice between treating the American people at arm's length and as adults, you treat them as adults, and they should have the opportunity to see this tape,'' he said on CBS' The Early Show.''
``It is ... equally important that the world see this tape because there are still some places where there is suspicion about whether there is evidence to link bin Laden to the events of Sept. 11,'' Graham said.
The same stance was taken by Sens. Joseph Biden D-Del., who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. ``The world needs to see this,'' Hagel said Sunday on CNN's ``Late Edition.''
On the other hand, Gehad Auda, a professor of political science at Cairo's Helwan University, said broadcast of the tape would create a ``propaganda splash'' but ``not cause any turnover in public opinion.''
``It won't make a difference to those who are hostile to America whether the tape is made public or not,'' Auda said. ``This is a matter of belief, not a matter of clarifying information.''
Cheney said it is not his decision whether to release the tape but indicated there was reluctance to do so. ``We've not been eager to give the guy any extra television time,'' he said.
The tape provides clear proof the leader of the al-Qaida network was behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) that killed about 3,300 people, the vice president said on NBC's ``Meet the Press.''
The tape shows bin Laden being interviewed or meeting with a cleric. He speaks in Arabic and discusses the terrorist attacks, according to Cheney, who said he had seen parts of the tape.
The al-Qaida leader expresses surprise and pleasure at the amount of damage done to the World Trade Center, the official said. Another official said bin Laden indicates on the tape he had expected the twin towers to collapse only down to the level of where the planes struck.
Bin Laden's comments show he had specific advance knowledge of the time, method and location of the attacks, said administration officials. They declined to reveal how the United States obtained the tape, which one described as amateurish and apparently made with a handheld video camera.
Bin Laden has not publicly taken responsibility for the attacks, though he has praised them. U.S. officials have said they intercepted communications tying bin Laden or associates to the attacks, but have refused to release any materials, citing intelligence concerns.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz expressed irritation that anyone would doubt bin Laden's guilt.
``I don't know what it takes to convince some people,'' he said on CNN. ``We had absolutely clear-cut evidence before that tape turned up.''
