"I haven't seen the tape, but I've heard reports of it. The first thing that comes to mind is Hitler. I never heard a tape of a private conversation of Hitler's, but I bet he was a lot like this. The bin Laden tape is sickening. It shows a man describing plans to kill thousands of innocent people as casually as if he were discussing a football game. From what I've heard, he looks like a smiling assassin. He expresses no regard for the lives of Americans, and really no regard for the lives of his followers who carried out the attacks. In fact, his view of Americans is quite the opposite. Osama bin Laden, in this videotape, sees Americans as vile enemies worthy of death and contempt. To him, we're not human beings with families and futures. We're blights on his landscape.
"The U.S. government was right to release this tape. It wasn't a flip decision. Experts studied the tape and concluded it was legitimate. They spent hours putting together an accurate, complete translation. Obviously law enforcement officers must have concluded that releasing this tape wouldn't compromise their case against bin Laden. Given all of those factors, I believe it was right to release the tape. Americans are sacrificing a lot in the war against terrorism. Soldiers are on the front lines in Afghanistan. At home, people are preparing for biological attacks. Some Americans are afraid to get on an airplane. Despite these sacrifices, we're all committed to battling terrorism as long as it takes. Given that commitment, Americans have the right to know what we're up against. Reading the whole transcript of the tape will allow Americans to draw their own conclusions. For many Americans, this tape will put a face on terrorism, and in that way, it will strengthen our resolve as a nation to dig in and fight. Another very important point is that this tape should help to convince members of the Arab world who were reluctant to support our military efforts that bin Laden was involved with the attacks.
"I'm not concerned that broadcasting the tapes will give Osama bin Laden a platform for his horrible views. The American people are capable of viewing the tape and drawing their own conclusions. I think Osama bin Laden built his own platform by expressing cold contempt for American lives."