does he ... or doesn't he?

you can bet that there's something fishy in D.C. when the news about the latest bin Laden tape is not that he's alive...ALIVE, not that he's still at large, not that this is the first verifiable sighting of the world's most wanted man in three years, but that he's discovered - Just For Men!?!?

of course it gets worse. now the wingnuts are attempting to link OBL's statements to Democrats and "lefties".

first, on Friday's NewsHour on PBS, NYT columnist David Brooks says:

"[I]t’s like he’s been sitting around reading lefty blogs, and he’s one of these childish people posting rants at the bottom the page, you know, Noam Chomsky and all this stuff."

of course, Fox's Sean Hannity picks up on this, and after comments on his dye-job, states that bin Laden

"...seemed to adopt the very same language that is being used by the hard left in this country...very, very specific language.”

Hannity even suggests that the term "civil war" when applied to Iraq is the "language of the hard left". Hannity and Colmes' guest was former WH Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Colmes asked Card how al Qaeda and the Taliban have been allowed to regroup, and asked Card about Bush's incredible 2002 statement that Bush was "not that concerned" about bin Laden. Card gives a lame answer, claiming, "we are definitely winning the War on Terror". Colmes presses him for evidence of "winning". then comes...the threat: fighting the war on terror, he says, may last "for generations...we cannot let our guard down. They want to attack us." oh and he claimed that there’s "lots of evidence" that we're winning, but neglected to mention any.

later in the 'cast, Fox News Military Analyst Bill Cowan, after comments on OBL's black beard, continues with the fear mongering, insisting that the U.S. will be attacked by "somebody...[a]n attack is going to occur at some point."

News Hounds has more on this, and Think Progress links some "rightie" blogs that claim much the same as above.

UPDATE: the NY Post too: "...vast sections of rambling rhetoric indistinguishable from the latest "netroots" rant."

oh and Fred Thompson tries to have it both ways, saying bin Laden is "more symbolism than anything else. I think it demonstrates to people once again that we're in a global war." but later that same day, following criticism from John Edwards and others, Thompson told a crowd: "He ought to be caught and killed." Thompson also claimed, incredibly, that "[w]e are finally on the right track in Iraq and we're making progress.” and that public support for the war - is increasing(!)

other lame repug reactions to the OBL tape came from Rudy ("a very, very important objective to capture him and take him out.") and from John McCain: "My presidency will be al-Qaida's worst nightmare...Osama bin Laden and his henchmen must be hunted down — and as president, I will." just what this country needs - four more years of that shit.

now, just in case Osama bin Laden happens to be reading this "leftie blog", i have a very, very important question for you: who does your hair?

UPDATE II: he ain't no cave dweller, niether....