Osama

Taking a more topical approach to things...

Is Osama Bin Laden dead or not? If you haven't yet heard, there are a whole bunch of rumors circulating the globe that the alleged visionary behind the WTC/Pentagon attacks is either very sick or already dead from very non-assault rifle-related complications. This whole thing strikes me as being really funny. I think it'd be great if he died of typhoid because then possibly (although I'm not even thinking about holding my breath on this one) maybe people would see how inconsequential he truly is.

Succumbing not to a geniusly masterminded internationally collaborated manhunt, but instead to some dirty water, would be a fantastically anti-climactic end to all of the drama. That way he would be denied that ever-elusive, widely sought-after title of martyr, greedy opportunistic politicians wouldn't be able to benefit from his capture and the ensuing circus sideshow they would try to call a trial (see Saddam Hussein), and pissed off Americans wouldn't be quite so lulled into a false sense of closure. That is of course assuming that Bush and Co. are even still bothering to hunt down the asshole, which hasn't seemed to be the case as of late.

A disease-dead Osama means the one nationally recognized symbol of unadultered evil, the one man for which forgiveness and salvation are absolutely out of the question would essentially become an emblematic nullity. I guess we'll just have to direct our hatred elsewhere...

The cynic in me, however, says that even if Bin Laden dies from some bacteria, Bush's approval rating will still manage to climb. Politics are dumb.