Questions about Osama bin Laden

Over at the Left Coaster this morning Steve Soto speaks of bin Laden, Bush and Musharraf and the alleged inability to track him down.

A little over a month ago, a less haggard-looking Osama Bin Laden dropped into the eleventh hour of our presidential election and reminded all of us that he was not only still around, but also quite well versed apparently on current American culture, spouting references from Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911". Far from looking like a man on the run and hiding in a cave like he was in the months after 9/11, Bin Laden looked like a man who had the time to be talking from what looked like a TV studio, speaking in a relaxed manner as if he wasn?t threatened by anything. There has been anecdotal evidence since then that the Kerry team felt that Bin Laden's timely appearance crippled them over the final weekend.

Now, less than six weeks later, President Musharraf of Pakistan visits Bush today, and in essence tells us that Bin Laden is nowhere to be found, and is truly on the loose. He tells this to Bush, Cheney, Rummy, and Rice, our new foreign policy team in the second term, who provide no sense of alarm or dissatisfaction at this news. In fact, it seems like a collective sense of "ho hum" is now the new attitude from this administration at the news that after billions of dollars in intelligence spending and a catastrophic waste of a war allegedly against terrorism in Iraq, the man responsible for 9/11 is still running free apparently far from any imminent threat from anyone.

In less than two months, Bin Laden has managed to get out from under Musharraf's alleged hounding long enough to stop at a TV studio, and now vanish. By the way, how many TV studios do they have in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan anyway?

Osama's appearance right before the election did have an impact and although Steve tries to avoid donning the tinfoil hat he does suggest it is suspicious. James Powell in the comments section is not so restrained:

Of the many unexamined episodes from this election campaign the sudden appearance of Osama on the eve of the election is the most striking. It isn't the tape that is striking, it's the widespread lack of interest in it.

How did it get from Osama to American television? What trail did it follow?

How long was the tape available before it was broadcast?

Wasn't the appearance of the tape just before the election a little too convenient? Doesn't that raise suspicions even with people who don't wear tin foil hats?

Why would Osama give a shit about the American elections? What would be his interest in either candidate? President Kerry would be no different from President Bush with respect to the policies that are opposed by Osama, and by people to whom Osama is appealing for support.

Osama is not stupid, he knows this. So what was his goal in making the tape?

So what was with that tape? How can a fugitive make it to a TV studio looking comfortable and at ease? I don't expect these questions to be asked in the US MSM but I don't hear anyone else asking them either.