The Revolting Geek and his favorite book*
Not long before his conversion to Islam, Adam Gadahn wrote in a letter: “I am now, as ever, a revolting geek of mass proportions.” Gadahn, you may recall, is the Al-Qaeda operative who has been indicted for treason — and who, in a videotape introduced by Ayman al-Zawahri himself, was kind enough to invite me personally, along with a few others, to accept Islam.
Anyway, now some analysts are positing that Gadahn wrote Osama’s latest speech. I think it’s possible, but no one (in this article at least) seems to have picked up on the fact that Gadahn named Scheuer along with me among the villains, while Osama seems to like him. Perhaps the Revolting Geek’s view of Scheuer is…nuanced.
“US loner helps bin Laden to taunt Bush,” by Tim Shipman in the Sunday Telegraph (thanks to Twostellas):
A Californian heavy metal fan, who converted to Islam and became the first American to be charged with treason in half a century, has been fingered as the author of Osama bin Laden’s latest video lecture – which left the terror chief sounding like an anti-globalisation protester.
The al-Qaeda leader’s first video message for three years featured a bizarre rant against America, with references to global warming, “insane taxes”, the US mortgage market meltdown and rising interest rates.
American spy chiefs were quick to name Adam Gadahn, the head of al-Qaeda’s English language media operations, as the author of large sections of bin Laden’s broadcast.
Last October, the 28-year-old “loner” became the first American charged with treason since 1952, for appearing in a succession of al-Qaeda videos under the guise of “Azzam The American”, in which he condemned globalisation and made American cultural references.
[…]
A former senior US intelligence official said: “It has Adam Gadahn written all over it.” Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer, said the tape left bin Laden with “the title of biggest gas bag in the terrorist world”.
CIA officials said voice analysis of the tape proved it was definitely bin Laden.
References to the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as French president, Gordon Brown’s appointment as prime minister and the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing on August 6 led them to conclude it was filmed as recently as four weeks ago.
President Bush used the release of the tape to reinforce his view that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.
He said: “I found it interesting that on the tape Iraq was mentioned, which is a reminder that Iraq is a part of this war against extremists.
If al-Qaeda bothers to mention Iraq, it is because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive us out and to develop a safe haven.”
[…]
Mohamed el-Sayed, of the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, said bin Laden’s words are proof the West cannot appease al-Qaeda by withdrawing from Iraq. “The message is much more threatening this time,” he said. “It uses iconic language that suggests: ‘The only way to get peace is to convert to Islam.’ He’s in a state of constant, unending war until he Islamises the world.”…
*No, he isn’t really holding The Truth About Muhammad. It’s a photoshopped image.