Can this plan work?

[deep]

Bin Laden: Goal is to bankrupt U.S.

Al-Jazeera releases full transcript of al Qaeda leader's tape


(CNN) -- The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy.

Al-Jazeera aired portions of the videotape Friday but released the full transcript of the entire tape on its Web site Monday.

"We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden said in the transcript.

He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers."

"We, alongside the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.

He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this administration."

"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.

Al-Jazeera executives said they decided to post the entire speech because rumors were circulating that the network omitted parts that "had direct threats toward specific states, which was totally untrue."

"We chose the most newsworthy parts of the address and aired them. The rest was used in lower thirds in graphics format," said one official.

U.S. intelligence officials Monday confirmed that the transcript made public Monday by Al-Jazeera was a complete one.

As part of the "bleed-until-bankruptcy plan," bin Laden cited a British estimate that it cost al Qaeda about $500,000 to carry out the attacks of September 11, 2001, an amount that he said paled in comparison with the costs incurred by the United States.

"Every dollar of al Qaeda defeated a million dollars, by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs," he said. "As for the economic deficit, it has reached record astronomical numbers estimated to total more than a trillion dollars.

The total U.S. national debt is more than $7 trillion. The U.S. federal deficit was $413 billion in 2004, according to the Treasury Department.

"It is true that this shows that al Qaeda has gained, but on the other hand it shows that the Bush administration has also gained, something that anyone who looks at the size of the contracts acquired by the shady Bush administration-linked mega-corporations, like Halliburton and its kind, will be convinced.

"And it all shows that the real loser is you," he said. "It is the American people and their economy."

As for President Bush's Iraq policy, Bin Laden said, "the darkness of black gold blurred his vision and insight, and he gave priority to private interests over the public interests of America.

"So the war went ahead, the death toll rose, the American economy bled, and Bush became embroiled in the swamps of Iraq that threaten his future," bin Laden said.

U.S. government officials said Friday that the tape appeared to be authentic and recently made. It was the first videotaped message from the al Qaeda leader in nearly three years.

 

[kobayashi]

He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers."

"We, alongside the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.

ummm.

there are several gaps in osama's logic model that make his plan next to impossible. perhaps the least of which is private interests which he refers to will not allow a bankrupt populace.

but the idea that the mujahadeen brought down the ussr in 10 years is laughable.

 

[DaveC]

No. It can't work.

 

[Jamila]

Actually, with our record budget deficits and more record budget deficits on the way this year brought to the U.S. economy by the Bush administration - I think his plan is already working.

Too bad that the people of the USA have to pay for this feud between the Bush family and Osama.

Because WE'RE the ones who will have to pay with the future destruction of the American economy.

Thanks for posting this, deep.

 

[verte76]

No. It's just a bunch of rhetoric. They didn't do in the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union went to hell because it had an unworkable system.

 

[nbcrusader]

No. It's just a bunch of rhetoric. They didn't do in the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union went to hell because it had an unworkable system.

If anything, trying to keep up with the US under Reagan brought the Soviet Union to its knees. That and communism is an unworkable system.

 

[hiphop]

The first thing that fell was the Wall in Berlin. I don´t think Reagan had his filthy hands in that...

I remember that. It was a glorious moment.

Nowadays Usbekistan is full of crime. Poverty is even higher than before, and this country doesn´t know where to go, sinking into chaos.

As to the title of the thread.. don´t know. I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 yesterday, its a brilliant film, better than I had expected after seeing part of it (I still don´t like the holiday-funfun part at the start, and sometimes its just rhetorics, but the whole film and what it shows is brilliant).

One question remains: why was the Bin Laden family allowed to leave the country - by plane, when all airports were officially closed - on Sept. 13th, 2001?

 

[DrTeeth]

One of the reasons the USSR collapsed is that NATO and especially the USA had more money to throw in to the fire. The War on Terror costs the USA and the worldwide economy lots and lots of cash. The terrorist and their antics won't be able to bankrupt the USA or any other country, but it sure is putting a brake on the economic growth.

 

[nbcrusader]

The terrorist and their antics won't be able to bankrupt the USA or any other country, but it sure is putting a brake on the economic growth.

Oh, I thought we were blaming GWB for that.....

 

[kobayashi]

Oh, I thought we were blaming GWB for that.....

well theres good ways and bad ways to respond...

 

[DrTeeth]

Not solely.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Well HipHop I consider you to be an educated individual who would not swallow such charges without investigion, but the flights were actually authorised by Richard Clark, not only that but they flew after airspace had opened, all that was confirmed by the 9.11 commission.