Marbury: bin laden, the spin doctor

May 12, 2011

bin laden, the spin doctor

Pro Publica has an excellent account of what has emerged so far from the stash of bin Laden's documents seized at Abbottabad. It seems that, far from being a figurehead, bin Laden was as involved as he could be in AQ's operations, given the limitations on his communication. He was above all an assiduous guardian of the AQ brand:

Bin Laden was bent on inflicting mass-casualty attacks on the West, the U.S. official said. At the same time, however, he criticized an online propaganda magazine edited by a young American in Yemen, saying the bloodthirsty tone of an article could harm al Qaeda's image among Muslims, according to the U.S. counterterror official.

The magazine, called Inspire, "apparently discussed using a tractor or farm vehicle in an attack outfitted with blades or swords as a fearsome killing machine," the official said. "Bin Laden said this is something he did not endorse. He seems taken aback. He complains that this tactical proposal promotes indiscriminate slaughter. He says he rejects this and it is not something that reflects what al Qaeda does."

On another point, Joe Biden can rest easy:

"He talks about targeting priorities," the counterterror official said. "He says the president is of course the top target if you could get a shot at him. Also the military chiefs like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the defense secretary, top military people. There is a note indicating that the vice president is not an important target because that position has less weight."

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