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Osama Tape 'Sophomoric' and Bizarre

'I expect more from a terrorist mastermind,' says National Review

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

(Newser) – Osama’s latest tape is “a great disappointment,” as sophomoric as it is bizarre, says James Robbins in the National Review. The terrorist’s invitation for Americans to convert to Islam – which would force “warmongering corporations” to spend energy converting people back – is as odd as his critique of JFK’s killing or US credit problems. “I really expect more from a terrorist mastermind,” says Robbins.

“No new threats, no new deals, just a new beard, if it is even real,” grieves the intel expert. He calls Osama’s speech “an interesting fusion of pseudo-Marxism and standard Islamism,” and tips his hat to the man’s ability “to dominate the news cycle whenever he appears, no matter what he says. The new video is a case in point; the only thing newsworthy about it is the fact that it exists.”

This two picture combination shows on the left, Osama bin Laden in an image made from an undated video broadcast on Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 by the Arab television station Al-Jazeera. On the right, bin Laden is shown in an image taken from a banner advertisement featured on an Islamic...
This two picture combination shows on the left, Osama bin Laden in an image made from an undated video broadcast on Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 by the Arab television station Al-Jazeera. On the right, bin Laden...   (Associated Press)
This undated photo shows al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Bin Laden will address Americans on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a new video, Al-Qaida's media arm announced. (AP Photo, File)
This undated photo shows al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Bin Laden will address Americans on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a new video, Al-Qaida's media arm announced....   (Associated Press)
This image taken from an undated video produced by al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, and made available Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 by the SITE Institute, a Washington-based group that monitors terror messages, shows Osama bin Laden speaking in the first new video of the al-Qaida leader in three years. (AP Photo/Site...
This image taken from an undated video produced by al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, and made available Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 by the SITE Institute, a Washington-based group that monitors terror messages,...   (Associated Press)
This image from video made available by IntelCenter, on Saturday, July 14, 2007, shows Osama bin Laden in a new videotape posted on a militant Web site by Al-Qaida's media production wing. The bin Laden clip, which lasted less than a minute, was undated and part of a 40-minute video...
This image from video made available by IntelCenter, on Saturday, July 14, 2007, shows Osama bin Laden in a new videotape posted on a militant Web site by Al-Qaida's media production wing. The bin Laden...   (Associated Press)
One of three views of a lenticular image of Jesus morphing into Osama bin Laden is seen hanging in the National Art School Gallery as part of the Blake Prize in Sydney Australia, Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. The Australian artist Priscilla Joyce Bracks's entry, named Bearded Orientals
One of three views of a lenticular image of Jesus morphing into Osama bin Laden is seen hanging in the National Art School Gallery as part of the Blake Prize in Sydney Australia, Monday, Sept. 3, 2007....   (Associated Press)
This frame grab taken from an undated video message carrying the logo of al-Qaida's production house as-Sahab and provided Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007 by IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor monitoring al-Qaida messaging, shows Osama bin Laden speaking in the first new video of the al-Qaida leader in three years....
This frame grab taken from an undated video message carrying the logo of al-Qaida's production house as-Sahab and provided Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007 by IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor monitoring...   (Associated Press)
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