Osama Lives! ...But only to justify war

This is truly sad. The Bush administration hasn't mentioned Osama in months and now they drag him out to somehow prove a "partnership with Iraq" because he drops a reference in a speech. Pathetic.

Update: Here's a transcript of Bin Laden's speech. Astute observers noticed that, at first, the media edited out Bin Laden's repudiation of Saddam Hussein. Atrios was quick to pounce on this, producing an early screenshot and a succinct summary of how the story played out in the beginning. Antiwar.com threw its hat into the ring, too, as Justin Raimondo tried to document the story's trajectory. He concluded that the story was "spinning so fast" it threatened "to unravel before our very eyes."

Reuters reports that the US "leaped on" the tape as proof of an Iraq-Al Qaeda link. That's an understatement. Considering that Colin Powell declared this tape to be further indication of an Iraq-Al Qaeda link before it was even released is an indication of how eager this administration is to kick start a war. Coincidentally, how Powell got his hands on the tape before al-Jazeera needs to be explained.

US officials were very quick to confirm the authenticity of the tape, much quicker than they were when the November tape popped up (that tape was called a fake by some independent researchers, btw). In the end, the overwhelming number of media stories emphasize the "Osama wants Muslims/Iraqis to attack the infidel" line, the exact framing that the administration wants to be aired. The onslaught of propaganda continues.

Update II: Reuters reports that "Powell knew what was on Osama bin Laden's audio tape before it was aired on al-Jazeera television because key ally Qatar gave Washington an advance copy." The Guardian reports that the "US knew about the latest Osama bin Laden tape five days before it was broadcast."