The Dude Is Dead

So the MSM gets news that Osama has appeared in a new video and they go banana’s. (via Laura Mansfield)

A new al-Qaida videotape posted Sunday on a militant Web site featured a short, undated clip of a weary-looking Osama bin Laden praising martyrdom.

The bin Laden clip, which lasted less than a minute, was part of a 40-minute video featuring purported al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan paying tribute to fellow militants who have been killed in the country.

Bin Laden glorified those who die in the name of jihad, or holy war, saying even the Prophet Muhammad "had been wishing to be a martyr."

[....]The authenticity of the video could not be verified, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants and carried the logo of as-Sahab, al-Qaida’s media production wing. It was not immediately clear when the video of bin Laden was filmed.

I admit, it definitely is newsworthy.  But come on, do some fact checking first.  Gateway Pundit actually did do some fact checking and came across this:

THIS EARLIER VIDEO with the same clothes and background as the tape from today was released in May 2002- The Scotsman has an article on this earlier OBL tape. Ansaar said Pakistani intelligence officers who supplied the video said it was shot in March, 2002.

Other reports suggest the video that was released in May 2002 was filmed back in October 2001.

Aljazeera said in May 2002 that this video was filmed in October 2001- CBS.

So it’s an old video, which tends to prove to me and most of my fellow bloggers….the dude is dead.  If he were alive there would be brand new videos coming out to boost the morale of his minions.  But instead we get a old recycled video.  That morale point is important also.  They figured posting this video as something new would give their fighters some conviction to carry on the fight since they are getting their asses handed them in Iraq, from the coalition and from those who used to be comrades.  They have accomplished nothing in Afghanistan, they have looked like fools in Britain, and now the one spot they had hoped to build a headquarters in, Pakistan, isn’t looking so hot either:

Al Qaeda’s leadership secretly directed the Islamic militants whose armed revolt at the Red Mosque in Islamabad ended last week with more than 100 deaths after it was stormed by the Pakistan army.

According to senior intelligence officials, the troops who finally took control discovered letters from Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were written to Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz, the brothers who ran the mosque and adjacent madrasah.

Government sources said up to 18 foreign fighters — including Uzbeks, Egyptians and several Afghans — had arrived weeks before the final shootout and set up firing ranges to teach students, including children, how to handle weapons.

Al-Qaeda has wanted to open a Pakistan front in its global jihad since President Pervez Musharraf sided with America after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

They, meaning AQ’s leadership, understand things are not looking so good so why not recycle old video for new.  Not like their followers are the smartest people in the bunch.

Other’s Blogging:

• Newsbusters
• Wizbang
• Stop The ACLU
• Captain’s Quarters
• Cop The Truth
• The Bullwinkle Blog
• The Wide Awakes
• Outside The Beltway
• Michelle Malkin
• The Strata-Sphere
• A Blog For All