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Taunting Osama Sticks and StonesBy Rick Horowitz
My own position on the subject? We shouldn't let any president even threaten to go nuclear unless he can actually say "nuclear." Not "nuke-u-lar" -- "nuclear." Is that too much to ask? But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the president and that other guy, the Terrorist Formerly Known as Osama, aka "The Evil One." Or at least that's how the president used to refer to him, early and often. Lately he barely refers to him at all. The name did come up at the president's recent news conference, but it wasn't Mr. Bush who brought it up; it was a reporter. She wanted to know why he'd stopped mentioning bin Laden, and whether he knows whether bin Laden is dead or alive, and for that matter, whether "deep in your heart, don't you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you won't really eliminate the threat of -- " Call it a multi-part question. And the president gave a multi-part answer, during which he never once mentioned the man's name. Although he did call him "the man," as in "I know the man's on the run, if he's alive at all." He called him "a fellow," as in "a fellow who's willing to commit youngsters to their death." And, most memorably, he called him "the ultimate parasite." That's what I want to talk about. This was the president's first full-blown news conference since October, and (the occasional mispronunciation aside) he keeps getting better at these things. He came across as realistic but reassuring, impassioned when he needed to be, endearingly casual at other times. Thoughtful, determined, at ease in his own skin. Presidential. And confident to the point of cocky -- especially when it came to bin Laden. "Who knows if he's hiding in some cave or not?" "He's just -- he's a person who's now been marginalized." "I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure." "He's the ultimate parasite, who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match." "We haven't heard from him in a long time." "I just don't spend that much time on him, to be honest with you." To be honest with you, there are reports that, for all his seeming nonchalance, Mr. Bush is still highly interested in bin Laden's whereabouts, that it's among the first things he asks Condoleezza Rice at his daily security briefings. So perhaps he doesn't spend "that much time" on it, but if the reports are true, bin Laden is never far from his thoughts -- and who could blame him? True or not, though, what fascinates me is the president's determination to send out exactly the opposite signal. To be downright dismissive of bin Laden. To insult him. To practically taunt him about his silence. What's going on here? Maybe it's just two boys having it out across the playground, our George making clear that the bully doesn't scare him -- and calming the rest of us, too. Or maybe the president is whistling past the graveyard, acting cool precisely because he is nervous. (And who could blame him?) Interesting theories. I don't buy them; I think there's more to it than that. You see, long before he became good at news conferences, George Bush was good at staying on message, saying only what he was supposed to say -- no more, no less. So here's what I'm wondering: What if the president's scorn and disdain aren't off the cuff at all, but are specifically designed to goad bin Laden into action? To put a fresh scent on a trail that's gone cold? Bin Laden's malevolence, after all, is equaled only by his ego. He does love the camera. He does love sticking his thumb in America's eye. Assuming he's alive, does he just sit there and take all this abuse, or does he find some way to announce to the world that he's still a player? If we're lucky, his response is nothing more than another videotape; at least we'll know he's out there. Or maybe he makes a move before he's really ready to make a move and he gets careless. That's if we're lucky. If we're not lucky, something terrible happens. Calculated insults? Taunts and dares? It's a dangerous game. But it's a dangerous world. Posted 3/14/02. See
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Rick Horowitz
