Re: maybe he would cash himself in? (Re: A Billion for Bin Laden)
At 11:55 AM 8/12/2004, Dave Howe wrote: of course someone *really* cynical might think they already had him, but needed to spring a billion towards shrub's reelection campaign S that's not supposed to happen until October... Adam Back wrote: Maybe Bin Laden would turn himself in in return for a billion $ for his cause (through a middle-man of course). That's actually more credible, though I'm skeptical that anybody would trust the Bush Administration with that much money - if you're not an established government or well-known warlord, don't you become an immediate target of US suspicion? But Bin Laden could get to turn himself in alive, and if he gets killed as a martyr to the cause, lots more people get to hate Bush.
maybe he would cash himself in? (Re: A Billion for Bin Laden)
Maybe Bin Laden would turn himself in in return for a billion $ for his cause (through a middle-man of course). Seem to remember that Bin Laden was relatively wealthy himself (100 M$?), but you'd have to balance these rewards to not be too excessively much more than net worth of the individual. As a rational adversary would include in his game plan swapping himself for the money for the cause. Especially if it could be arranged in a way which tends to cast Bin Laden in the martyr role him and encourage the hydra effect where it galvanizes leutenants to step in. Bin Laden would have to balance also with how valueable he thought his leader ship was. Of course the lieutenants themselves might do the calculation and figure they would be closer to their goals after cashing in Bin Laden. Adam On Thu, Aug 12, 2004 at 03:37:32AM -0400, Sunder wrote: Yeah, about as brilliant as a turd. Didn't they recently call Al-Qaeda's network a hydra? correct me if I don't recall my Ancient Greek myths, but when you cut off one head on the hydra, two more grow back, so are we to assume that future heads that grow back will carry such bounties? A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money. I guess they do realize that these guys are idologists and the allmighty dollar is anathema to them, so they have to raise the bounty in order to get someone to betray him... Never discount greed, no matter how ideological someone may be, at some ridiculous sum, someone somewhere will rat him out... perhaps just before the elections.
Re: maybe he would cash himself in? (Re: A Billion for Bin Laden)
Nah, if Bush already had him in a hole somewhere to produce him just in time for the elections, he'd collect the billion for himself as his personal reward. --Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--- + ^ + :Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. /|\ \|/ :They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country /\|/\ --*--:and our people, and neither do we. -G. W. Bush, 2004.08.05 \/|\/ /|\ : \|/ + v + :War is Peace, freedom is slavery, Bush is President. - On Thu, 12 Aug 2004, Dave Howe wrote: of course someone *really* cynical might think they already had him, but needed to spring a billion towards shrub's reelection campaign
