Move over Oprah! Welcome to the Osama Bin Laden Book Club. In his most recent video message, Bin Laden extols the works of the leftist author Noam Chomsky and he also directs Americans to read the book Imperial Hubris written by former CIA analyst and Bush critic Michael Scheuer. Scheuer places the blame for the turmoil in Iraq and the Middle East squarely on Bush, and Chomsky wrote of 9/11, "As atrocities go it doesn't rank very high." Indeed for Chomsky the only significance of 9/11 was that usually it is America that is responsible for mass atrocities while "for the first time the guns have been directed the other way. That is dramatic change." Chomsky, like Bin Laden, takes the view that we had it coming.
Bin Laden has been extolling the works of left-wing pundits for a few years now. In his 2004 message, delivered right before the presidential election, Bin Laden implored Americans to read the works of leftist Robert Fisk to get an "unbiased" view of why America was to blame for Muslim woes. A prolific author and far-left writer for the London Independent, Fisk is the British equivalent of Chomsky: anti-Americanism runs in his veins. And in January 2006 Bin Laden championed the book Rogue State written by the liberal writer William Blum, who writes for The Progressive and other leftist publications. Blum has called on America to withdraw from the Middle East and "give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured" by American troops.
Prior to 9/11, Bin Laden's messages made no distinctions among Americans: we were all evil. But since then Bin Laden has changed his tune. Apparently he considers some Americans like Bush, Cheney and Wolfowitz to be the very incarnations of the Great Satan, while other Americans--inevitably on the left--get globally-publicized book blurbs often resulting in a sales boost. Interestingly Blum reacted to the Bin Laden endorsement by telling the Washington Post, "I'm not repulsed and I'm not going to pretend that I am. If he (Bin Laden) shares with me a deep dislike for certain aspects of U.S. foreign policy...I think it's good that he shares those views." Blums fails to mention that more than 3,000 Americans died as a result of Bin Laden acting on his convictions.
Why, you may ask, would Bin Laden praise these leftist critics of U.S. foreign policy? First, he recognizes that there are many on the left who hate Bush as much as he does and who share his desire that Bush's war in Iraq, and Bush's foreign policy more generally, end in complete failure. Surely Bin Laden doesn't share the permissive social values of the left, but he has figured out that the enemy of his enemy is his de facto ally, working with him toward a common goal. Second, Bin Laden recognizes that he couldn't possibly convince Americans to pull out of Iraq. Fortunately for him he doesn't have to. There is already a political movement in America, led by the pundits and activists of the left, who are working overtime and without pay to secure Bin Laden's chief objectives. Thus the chief architect of 9/11 can simply refer Americans to their own homegrown leftists in order to get the Bin Laden line.
Does the term "useful idiot" ring a bell?
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 4)
16. BT, why do you continue to post on this blog? Is it because you seek enlightenment? I suppose not, since you consider conservative thought to be so "vapidly shallow." You comment on nearly every blog post, but almost never agree with any point Mr. D'souza makes. So I ask you: do you see yourself as some great crusader for the cause of liberalism in America?
If so, you're not doing a great job, having misspelled both Bin "Lauden" and "Briteny" Spears in the same post. Spelling aside, you call conservative thought "shallow," yet you use large spaces in your own posts, seemingly for the sole purpose of taking up space, which seems to me the epitome of "shallow," perhaps lacking in depth of thought.
And if you don't see yourself as some sort of crusader, is it simply that you are a mean-spirited person? I don't see how you could otherwise write in such a pissed-off tone day after day. Maybe you think yourself witty, with derogatory quips such as "put some clothes on, girl!" Maybe some people find that funny, but for myself I certainly do not see you as an internet version of Jon Stewart.
I apologize for the ad hominem character of this post, but taken in the light of your day after day after day ad hominem attacks on Mr. D'souza, it doesn't seem nearly so bad, perhaps even quite justifiable.
Duke Cheston at 1:46PM on Sep 10th 2007
17. Uhh... yeah. Here's the deal. Since when does Bin Laden get to address Americans? What is he, Fuckin' Andy Rooney?
I can't believe the media actually carried this, "Bin Laden to address America tonight," as if he we should allow a TERRORIST to address our nation. Absolutely unbelievable that any news outlet in our nation or any citizen would air or listen to this tripe. Unbelievable.
Sydney at 2:13PM on Sep 10th 2007
18. Religion produces the "soldiers" the Muslim oil holders and the "soldiers" the Christian oil grabbers need to distract us from the fact that the Muslims want an oil caliphate and the "west" just wants the oil.
This "sectarian violence" is just about which "tribe" holds the sands which sit atop the subterranean lakes of oil.
Either way it is all about oil. When the west runs out of oil, we won't be republicans or democrats or Christians or Muslims or Jews... or anything else. We will be fighting for our individual survival.
Captain Negative at 3:02PM on Sep 10th 2007
19. Hey Sydney I agree it's pathetic but People like John and Steve waited a long time to hear from thier hero.They'll stay up late or tape it if they have too, As for steven,Who's this "WE" I still back OUR President,go over to steve and john's and watch Bin laden with em....
Dinesh D'Souza...........Keep Up the good Work
AL at 3:06PM on Sep 10th 2007
20. And to think some idiot blamed 9/11 on the gay marriage movement. Who was that fool?
Bruce Peterson at 4:51PM on Sep 10th 2007
21. I find it funny that D'Souza has the most angry, self-righteous, and virulent critics of all the AOL bloggers...it tells me that the guy's making his points.
Do you extremists think that, if the MUSLIM extremists got their way, that your extremist views will matter to them? Do you think they'll embrace you?
No. If such a thing were to happen, if the United States were to (God forbid) fall to the Muslim world, does anyone imagine for a second that people like Blum and Chomsky (a JEW embraced by Muslims? HA!) will be anything except facing the end of a gun barrel?
Think again. You people are so blinded by your hate and rhetoric, it's astounding. You're not going to take the rest of us with you without a fight.
timber at 3:38PM on Sep 10th 2007
22. 100,000 Muslim CIVILIANS the US has killed...? John...seriously buddy....put DOWN the crackpipe.
timber at 3:39PM on Sep 10th 2007
23. Much like the other Bin Laden's tapes, they sound like they were written by the C.I.A. But of couse, Dinesh (Mrs. Irrelevant) completely misses the point as always. Why hasn't Bush (Mr. Walk-on-Water)been able to capture him? It's so strange and ironic that the same intelligence people who claimed that bin Laden was behind 9/11 are the same group of people who falsely claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
gshort3011 at 3:44PM on Sep 10th 2007
24. To timber...
So you don't think 100,000 is right? Neither do I, as a matter of fact, I happen to think (and read) that the number is actually WAY HIGHER. Last time I looked, it was around 650,000 Iraqis. Not to mention, around 2 million Iraqis driven from their homes as refugees.
So, here's my advice to you timber, go find out yourself. Go READ a little, if you know how.
Please explain to me, how in the world the United States would, in your words, (but endlessly heard from Right wing nuts), fall to the "Muslim world"? Fall how exaclty? With what army? With a bunch of sandal cladded teenagers holding AKs?
Be serious buddy, you're becoming a joke. And you're not funny, you're pathetic.
JS
JS at 3:55PM on Sep 10th 2007
25. The Iraq war was entered into with justification. UN resolution #1441 gave that justification. This was not a United States resolution. This was a United Nations resolution.
The President of the United States of America went to the United Nations to seek approval for the invastion of Iraq. He did not commit the US to the invastion without seeking counsel from others.
It does not matter who...truly....wishes to change the facts of history in hindsight. These are established facts, and cannot be ignored by anyone calling themselves honest.
That nothing was found is meaningless. That the Bush administration poorly executed the war (and they most certainly did, as certainly as there was justification for the invasion) is meaningless.
That the Bush administration, being politicians, failed to be consistent in their public statements about the war (and they most certainly did) is also meaningless. That the Bush administration allowed spurious excuses for why the war was not justified to be advanced and embraced ("there were no wmds!" "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11!" "It was all for oil!") is also meaningless.
UN Resolution #1441 GAVE the United States and her allies justification for the invastion of Iraq.
The Bush administration failed in many, many ways to correctly adminster this war. But the one thing it did NOT do was launch it without justification.
That so many people embrace that it WAS without justification is merely a sad reflection on the willingness of so many to ignore history and believe lies.
timber at 3:55PM on Sep 10th 2007
26. Again, to timber...
No, you are wrong. The United Nations, NEVER gave the US its autorisation to go to war, NEVER. The UN Resolution 1441, was stating that Iraq was "in violations" of previous UN Resolutions.
Go READ it yourself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Security_Council_Resolution_1441
or better yet, form the actual UN website.
http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/2002/sc2002.htm
Also, you sate (hilariously), that the invasion was launched "with justifications". Actually, it would be hilarious if it wasn't for the thousands of civilian dead, millions of refugees, thousands of dead US soldiers, BILLIONS wasted, the US reputation across the world in the toilet, I could go on, but then I would have to stay here all night. I guess, from reading your brilliant posts that all I stated above is most likely "meaningless".
I wonder how ANYBODY could be so callous and heartless about what this US gov't did to millions of innocent people. All of it, for profit.
You're not only pathetic, but quite possibly psychotic.
JS
JS at 4:09PM on Sep 10th 2007
27. It ought to be clear from reading Bridget's post #5 that Islam doesn't have the corner on religious lunacy. The so called "Christian Zionist Movement" whose sentiments are expressed in her post is a source for continued evil and not good in the middle east. They attempt to use Christianity to justify their racism and indifference to the plight of a whole class of people, namely the Palestinians. Until the United States becomes an honest broker in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and seeks a lasting and just peace in the region for all people the middle east will continue to be a powder keg. Unfortunately, the so called Christian Zionist will make it extremely difficult to formulate a more constructive policy for the region.
randy at 4:24PM on Sep 10th 2007
28. Duke -
I'd really like tosay I feel you pain of the dislike of my posts...
But I really could give a flying fig.
If DD' continues to be allowed to insult our intelligence and to pimp his racist, hompohobic, and shallow screed on AOL...
I don't see any reason not to reduce it, as frequently as practical, to the pile of shit it is.
Consider it an excercise in that part of the Constitution you conservative types would like to ignore on your way to the next Reich...
Free Speech.
Besides, last I checked you DD' followers were into "white" space.
BT at 4:49PM on Sep 10th 2007
29. Larry Houle's commentary is undoubtedly the MOST IMPORTANT perfectly crafted 1,158 written about Islam, the Koran, the Hadith and Muhammed. Every American and freedom loving person should read this once a day,learn and memorize his words. That commentary should be our mantra. They capture the nature of the evil that faces Western civilization with not one word more or less than is needed to explain the essence of what the West is facing if we continue our politically correct vision of Islam.
Vincent at 5:01PM on Sep 10th 2007
30. Again, regardless of what anyone thinks about Bush (personally, I think he's a moron - and I lived in Texas when he was governor [trust me, he doesn't get any smarter up close]) why is ANYONE discussing Bin Laden's views as though he is some intellectual or celebrity as opposed to the monster who is responsible for committing an atrocity on our own soil. What is wrong with you idiots?
This has nothing to do with Muslims or Christians. It just annoys the hell out of me that we have become such a ludicrous nation that we seem to have made a cultural icon out this criminal. He must be sitting up in his little cave on his dialysis machine laughing his ass off. And no wonder. Apparently, we really ARE STUPID.
I have a wonderful idea. Anyone who wants to discuss Chomsky with Bin Laden should just get a one way visa and join the guy.
Sydney at 4:37PM on Sep 10th 2007