I suppose we should be grateful that al-Qaeda’s leadership should be so anxious to get credit for a failed attack.  The latest Osama bin Laden tape seems to signal a little bit of desperation, if authentic:

Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the December 25 failed bombing of a U.S.-bound plane and promised more attacks on the United States, in an audio tape Al Jazeera said on Sunday was of the Al Qaeda leader.

Bin Laden, speaking days ahead of major international meetings on how to deal with militancy in Afghanistan and Yemen, said the attempt to blow up the plane as it neared Detroit was a continuation of al Qaeda policy since September 11, 2001.

“The message sent to you with the attempt by the hero Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is a confirmation of our previous message conveyed by the heroes of September 11,” bin Laden said on the tape in a message addressed “from Osama to (U.S. President Barack) Obama.”

“If it was possible to carry our messages to you by words, we wouldn’t have carried them to you by planes,” bin Laden said.

Once again, it’s the fault of the Jooooooooos:

On Sunday’s tape, bin Laden cited Washington’s support for Israel as a motivator for more attacks on the United States, and vowed to keep on as long as Palestinians cannot live in peace.

“Our attacks against you will continue as long as U.S. support for Israel continues,” he said. “It is not fair that Americans should live in peace as long as our brothers in Gaza live in the worst conditions.”

Well, pal, maybe you should take that up with Hamas.  After all, Israel pulled out of Gaza, only to watch the Palestinian allies of bin Laden impose a brutal dictatorship of terrorism and use Gaza as a launching pad for missiles into Israel.  If they spent their money on improving their own lives rather than trying to snuff out the lives of Israelis, we’d all be better off.  If they did that, you wouldn’t have to have young Muslims setting their nutsacks on fire over the Atlantic.

Note well that bin Laden didn’t make the supposed “occupation” of Iraq or Afghanistan his biggest issue, although some Americans seem to believe that our withdrawal from those places would placate AQ leadership.  In the end, it’s not even primarily about Israel.  Bin Laden wants to create a new caliphate in southwest Asia that will overthrow Saudi Arabia and other Muslim states along with Israel, with bin Laden as the Caliph who controls the region’s oil resources — and from there put all nations in his thrall.