Katie Couric's Notebook: Bin Laden Returns

By: Katie Couric
Topics: Katie Couric's Notebook

If the past eight years were an opera, Osama bin Laden would have played the arch-nemesis, coloring every aria President Bush performed. And now, as the president sings his swan song, Bin Laden has purportedly surfaced again.

His audiotaped message was specifically about Gaza, a call to jihad against Israel. But the subtext requires little translation, he's still around.

Last night, Larry King asked the president if we were ever close to capturing bin Laden.

President Bush answered honestly, "I don't know."

Bin Laden's current relevance is a subject of debate for terrorism experts, but symbolically he remains the enemy.

In a movie sequel it's usually the protagonist who returns to fight a new foe, but President-elect Obama may also have to confront bin Laden. While Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama have different storylines in mind, they share a vision for the ending: curtains for the bad guy.

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by petersemkiw January 15, 2009 11:32 PM EST: Although many of the world''s, economic, political, and military conflicts may be very frightening, always remember to be happy, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.; Reply to this comment


by akirayamanak January 15, 2009 5:58 AM EST: I was disappointed to see her have different expressions to between CBSnews''audiences and the President-elect Obama.
Of course, she doesn''t need to personally make a kind expression to me.
But the expression toward CBSnews'' audiences should be the same with that toward the President-elect Obama. There also is a the President-elect Obama beyond the studio TV camera you gaze, Katie.; Reply to this comment


by larryhammick January 15, 2009 5:07 AM EST: Nowadays does UBL actually command much in the way of a jihad? Clearly no. As a figurehead of Islamist terrorism, he has been losing ground as well. Naturally he tries to capitalize on the Gaza fighting. Like Saddam and Ahmadinejad and others, Bin Ladin hopes to rally support by painting the Jews as enemies of all Muslims. But Hamas couldn''t care less about al-Qa''ida''s propaganda. In fact Hamas has already committed at least one massacre of Salafists in the Gaza Strip, in mid-September 2008 (members of the Dughmush gang).; Reply to this comment


by akirayamanak January 15, 2009 4:45 AM EST: They claimed that the civilian casualty of Israel conflicts had relationship with the civilian casualty of 9.11.
So I''ve personally been cautious of the Palestinian conflicts.; Reply to this comment