Cognitive dissonance, anyone? Believe it or not, the image on the left above is an older one of Osama bin Laden (from 2004), the one on the right taken from his most recent video.
He’s trimmed and blackened his beard. But it’s an uncanny resemblance, I have to say – same nose and eye line, same dimples. I never thought of him as one given to vanity, but apparently so. He’s gotten markedly younger, or the figure on the right is a stand-in, or the video is much older than we have been told. My bet is on the latter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is dead and that they are doing a ‘greatest hits’ compilation.
Keep in mind that the U.S. wants this man, dead or alive, but that he’s far more useful alive, which is probably why Bush said in 2002
I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.
Any good propaganda campaign needs a face – whether it is Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein or Manuel Noriega or Slobodan Milosevic – we need a picture in our minds, an object on which to focus our hatred.
For that reason, bin Laden, dead or alive, is alive and well. He’s a good man to have around.
Piece of Mindful 