bin Looney & beheadings - titanic PR flare-ups in high chatter week

Although the New York Post dismissed him as “bin Looney,” Osama bin Laden managed to hijack the global political agenda last week with a rant against America that was calculated and effective PR. Republicans were ecstatic dissecting bin Looney’s psycho-political analysis and rambling exhortations because it sounded like he was spouting the Democratic Party agenda, warning about taxes and the evils of sub prime mortgages, encouraging us to embrace Islam as a way to avoid the terror of a recession. All that was missing was an endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

Fred Thompson, new to the Presidential fray, was philosophical about it all, saying that bin Laden “is more symbolism than anything else.” Giuliani and McCain and Romney, sensing weakness, pounced swiftly and mercilessly and by the end of the day Thompson was salivating testosterone like a contender - bin Looney must be hunted down and killed, Thomson and the rest of the pack agreed. After all, bin Laden was controlling the message and demanding media attention at their expense.

It is believed that an American, Adam Gadahn, 28, wrote at least part of bin Laden’s speech. Otherwise known as “Azzam the American,” Gadahn is probably part of Sahab Media, the al Qaeda media arm that is increasingly releasing longer, higher quality videos that are meant to appeal to the M TV masses and counter infidel propaganda. Mainstream media (MSM) always refers to nefarious terrorist web sites where the “chatter” might indicate a new al Qaeda video is about to be released. Annoyingly, MSM does not link to these sites and they cannot be found through a traditional web search.

I did find the site Terrorist Media and that is a revelation. Check it out, sit back and absorb raw footage of mass killings, ambushes, roadside bombs, beheadings and the like. The video of the Mujahideen attack on a supply convoy in Diyla is accompanied by repetitive, hypnotic singing that builds as the gunmen hide in the tall grass waiting for the convoy to come through before they open up with crude weapons and let out with blood curdling rebel yells. It looks like a VNR for the jihad optimized for the web.

This week General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker will deliver their well scripted reports on the progress of the Iraq occupation to a politically polarized Congress and a highly skeptical public. More than 53% of the American public believes that the General will spin the truth to make things look better than they are, and only 39% believe he will tell the truth, according to a Washington Post poll. MoveOn.org is reportedly taking out an ad in the 9/10 New York Times dismissing “General Betray Us” as a less than credible source, while the White House runs interference. War PR will be ratchetedd up to a high level alert this week.

Rudy Giuliani, who tried to patent the rights to 9/11 and supposedly market tested a new cologne called Terror For Men, will of course take part in 9/11 anniversary activities. Although he is increasingly being criticized for trying to capitalize on the 9/11 tragedy while not being accountable for the toxic clean-up of ground zero and his slights to NYC firefighters, Rudy is adopting the mantle of global warrior tough on terror. Giuliani was a tough prosecutor and a didactic, polarizing Mayor who became a folk hero frozen in time after 9/11. He’s not about to let some two bit terror loon hiding in a Pakistan cave steal his air time.

Mark Rose is editor of PRBlogNews - a web publication focusing on public relations practices in the digital age.