Newsweek analyzes the bin Laden tape in the context of the Administration's search for him. A few weeks ago, they thought he was in Pakistan. Since the tape was released, Newsweek says more agents have been put on the task of finding him.

In the wake of the bin Laden tape, Newsweek has learned, the FBI is expanding its operations to a second-tier list of several hundred more suspects, pulling in manpower from other agencies, including drug teams and U.S. marshals.

We won't be suprised if Osama turns up between now and Monday night. Particularly if he turns up dead. The tape is too strange. In addition to the physical and situational differences we pointed out here, the text of the tape reads like a campaign ad. His reference to Michael Moore's film is strange. His attacks relate more to George Bush I than the current President. Newsweek says,

In the tape, bin Laden did not seem like a hunted terrorist on the lam. After reviewing bin Laden's demeanor, health and the backdrop in the video, one intelligence official said bin Laden looked as if he were now living comfortably in an urban setting in Pakistan. "He is not tired, is not running, is not worried," one Taliban official tells Newsweek.

Maybe he was captured months ago and told he would be killed if he didn't make this tape. Maybe he will be killed after making the tape. Between Pakistan and Karl Rove, there's no telling what Hollywood ending may be in store for us.

Wesley Clark issued this statement today:

“Vice President Cheney should be ashamed of himself for his last ditch efforts to mislead Americans about John Kerry. George Bush and Dick Cheney turned their back on our troops by attempting to cut their combat pay while our troops faced enemy fire on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. They turned their back on our troops when they sent them into combat without the body and vehicle armor they needed, and then opposed reimbursing families who were forced to buy their loved ones this needed body armor. They turned their back on our troops by cutting funding for VA hospitals and by reducing the availability of health insurance.

“The Bush administration has neglected our troops and used them. It has failed them. Troops need good leadership with a strategic plan and a vision for success. George Bush has given them neither. By failing to use all the tools of diplomacy to reinforce our military efforts in Iraq, George Bush has let the troops down.

“It's appalling that Dick Cheney has the audacity to question John Kerry's commitment to our troops. The Bush Cheney campaign is showing its desperation.”

Received by e-mail from the Kerry campaign

From the Electoral Vote Projector:

It was bound to happen and it happened. Today we have more state polls than there are states. There are 54 new polls in 22 states today. Furthermore, the lead has changed in five states, and all five changes favor Kerry. As a result, Kerry has now passed Bush in the electoral college. If today's results are the final results Wednesday morning, John Kerry will be elected as the 44th President of the United States, with 283 votes in the electoral college to George Bush's 246. But don't count on it. Many of Kerry's leads are razor thin. Counting only the strong + weak states, Bush leads 229 to 196, with 113 electoral votes in the tossup category Kerry's leads in the tossup states mean little to nothing. The turnout Tuesday will determine who wins.

From LA Weekly (hat tip Pandagon)

Peter Rose served ten years in prison for a rape DNA tests have proven he did not commit. He left jail this week amid tears from his children, relatives, friends and the law students at Golden Gate in San Francisco who worked to free him.

Congress' watered-down, lop-sided DNA testing bill went into effect Saturday. Make no mistake, it's a crime victim's bill, not an Innocence bill. However, even the paltry amount designated for DNA testing of inmate's innocence claims is better than no funding at all. Imagine if John Kerry were President instead of Bush the past three years. We would be celebrating a real legislative advance, along the lines of the original Innocence Protection Act introduced in 2001, of which he was a co-sponsor.

Here's a section by section analysis of the bill. Here's a description of the bill. Here's a timeline, from 2000 to 2004.

Self-imposed break today. You can talk amongst yourselves here, you pick the topics. Some ideas:

Voting problems. As I wrote over at 5280 today, the TL kid and two of his friends in New York still have not received their Colorado absentee ballots . Three votes for Kerry down the tubes.

Or Rumsfeld and the draft. He insists there never were any talks to resume it. But members of his staff attended the Selective Service meeting where detailed plans were proposed.

The Pentagon has extended the service of 6,500 troops in Iraq. The decision was made October 16. Were they waiting until after the soldiers had sent in their absentee ballots to announce the decision?

Update: Steve Gilliard on Rudy:

For people surprised by Giuliani's attack on US troops, read how he treated his own family.

*********************
'Meet the Press' this morning has Bob Kerry (former Neb. Senator and 9/11 Commission member) vs. Rudy Giuliani. I turned it off after opening credits announced the "squaring off." Given Giuliani's name recognition, this is hardly a fair matchup. Why didn't NBC put someone of equal celebrity stature on in its last show before the election to argue for the Dems? Were Clinton and Gore too busy? I doubt either would have refused the invitation.

Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner spent two days in October with the Kerry campaign. Here is the Kerry interview. Same issue, Hunter Thompson, with an exceptionally good article we wrote about last week here.

Three signs that the Republicans don't have the advantage in Florida they think they have--

• Betty Castor is inching ahead of Mel Martinez in the Senate race.

• The Cuban-American vote is no sure thing.

• Kerry squeaks ahead of Bush in latest Florida tracking poll.

These three banners were hung Friday morning at 6:20 am over the inbound Kennedy (I-90/I-94 in Chicago.) They stayed up until 8:00 a.m. Here's my favorite:

Here's what it looked like:

Walter Cronkite on Larry King Live last night, discussing the newly released tape of Osama bin Laden:

In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign.

Cronkite also notes the variance in bin Laden's appearance and demeanor, saying it's almost like he's vying for a position as an international spokesman: