Right-wing media connect bin Laden to progressives and Dems

AP reports that bin Laden “blamed the United States and other industrialized nations for climate change.” A January 29 Associated Press article reported that “Osama bin Laden sought to draw a wider public into his fight against the United States in a new message Friday, dropping his usual talk of religion and holy war and focusing instead on an unexpected topic: global warming. The al-Qaida leader blamed the United States and other industrialized nations for climate change and said the only way to prevent disaster was to break the American economy, calling on the world to boycott U.S. goods and stop using the dollar.”

Limbaugh compares bin Laden to Obama, Reid, Pelosi, “or the entire Democrat Party.” On his radio show, Limbaugh -- who has repeatedly smeared progressives and the media by linking them to terrorists -- responded to bin Laden's reported comments by stating, “We have got to sign this guy for a Nobel Peace Prize. He should be a joint recipient. I mean, he's got the same view on this that Al Gore has and the United Nations IPCC, whatever the hell that group is.” Limbaugh also said, “It gets harder and harder to tell bin Laden's complaints from those of the average, run-of-the-mill leftist, like Obama or Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi or the entire Democrat Party. I mean, every time Obama releases -- Osama releases a tape, it's just Democrat talking points. Or maybe they're getting their talking points from him.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show, 1/29/10]

Beck says that bin Laden is “running to [progressives'] defense.” On his radio show, Glenn Beck stated, “One last thought. Bin Laden says the way to stop global warming -- I didn't know he cared about global warming, but he's come out with a new tape now on the dangers and hazards of global warming. Bin Laden in his cave cares about global warming. He says the way to stop global warming is, quote, 'Bring the wheels of the American economy to a halt.' Isn't it interesting the progressive movement has been trying to fundamentally transform us into a workers utopia, stop the wealth in this country? And they've done it by changing history and stopping the use of any of our natural resources. And they're also the leaders in the global warming hoax, the biggest swindle in the history of mankind. And who's running to their defense now that it is weak? Bin Laden. His solution? Stop the American economy, and save the planet.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, 1/29/10]

RedState: “Kinder, Gentler Osama” “expresses views that are nearly indistinguishable from those of ... many Congressional Democrats.” A January 29 post at RedState.com titled “The Kinder, Gentler Osama bin Laden” stated that in his comments about global warming, “bin Laden expresses views that are nearly indistinguishable from those of radical environmentalists, European anarchists, or many Congressional Democrats.”

Allahpundit: bin Laden “pander[ing] to the left.” In separate January 29 Twitter posts, conservative blogger Allahpundit quoted from an article on bin Laden's comments and suggested that in his remarks, bin Laden “tried to clumsily pander to the left.”

NewsBusters says bin Laden's comments “sound like an endorsement of Cap and Trade.” In a January 29 post, NewsBusters quoted the AP article reporting that “bin Laden warned of the dangers of climate change and says that the way to stop it is to bring 'the wheels of the American economy' to a halt.” The NewsBusters post then stated: “Sounds like an endorsement of Cap and Trade.”

Limbaugh has repeatedly smeared progressives, media by linking them to terrorists

In recent years, Limbaugh has made numerous attacks on Democrats, progressives, and the media by linking them to terrorists. Examples include:

• June 24, 2008: Limbaugh stated: “I will guaran-damn-tee you there will not be a terrorist attack before the election. And you know why there won't be one? Because they want Obama elected.” He later falsely claimed, “Hamas has endorsed Obama. Hamas has endorsed Obama.” Limbaugh also asserted that “every time I hear [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad speak, every time I hear a tape from [Al Qaeda leader] Ayman al-Zawahiri or a so-called dispatch from bin Laden, whenever I hear from any of these Middle East Al Qaeda terrorists, I think I'm hearing Democrat [sic] Party talking points."

• April 15, 2008: Limbaugh asserted: "[T]he Islamofascists are actually campaigning for the election of Democrats. Islamofascists from Ahmadinejad to al-Zawahiri ... Osama bin Laden, whoever, are constantly issuing Democrat talking points."

• October 19, 2006: Limbaugh declared that the surge in insurgent violence in Iraq at the time indicated that “terrorists around the world, particularly those in Iraq, are voting Democrat today.” Limbaugh maintained that “the terrorists, the Islamofascists, the jihadists” are the “key voters in this year's election,” and that "[t]hey are trying to create as much havoc as possible; raise the level of violence in order to affect the midterm elections." He added: “What could be the best outcome for [the terrorists]? Cut and run, right? Whose strategy -- whose policy amounts to cut and run? Democrats.”

• April 26, 2006: Limbaugh remarked that a new videotape released by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi “is an excellent opportunity to remind all of you that it sounds just like the DNC [Democratic National Committee] is writing his scripts now.” Limbaugh also claimed that Zarqawi “sounds like Democrats,” including “Howard Dean, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry ... Carl Levin, Nancy Pelosi.”