By: Patrick F. Morris

Is it mere coincidence, or is there something more sinister going on here?

Osama bin Ladin and al Qeada's great triumph on September 11, 2001 also converted the lackluster first year of George W. Bush's presidency into a sacred mission and a crusade to avenge a national tragedy. It united the entire nation behind the president and raised his approval ratings with the American public to unprecedented heights. His swift action of striking back at al Qeada and the Taliban in Afghanistan was collectively hailed and supported. His declaration of a war on terrorism won wide public approval.

It is difficult to conjure up any scenario that could have so radically changed the course of a presidency and the attitude of a nation. But whether they intended to or not, Osama and his henchmen turned the president of the United States into a hero.

Presumably Osama's intention was quite different -- to serve notice on the United States and the rest of the world that he and his movement were a power in their own right and capable of inflicting serious and long-lasting damage at places of their own choosing. It was also meant to be wake-up call to Muslims around the world that they were at war with infidel western civilization. The daring and prominence of their attack would bring hundreds of new recruits to their cause.

Osama and his followers certainly never could have imagined that this new hero president would so swiftly reward them for their gift of "a mission". Yet, by sending US troops into Iraq, Bush helped them realize one of their primary goals by increasing their recruitment prospects a thousand fold. Not only that, the Iraq invasion also enraged the entire Muslim world and separated the US from most of its long-time allies. Admittedly, the US killed and captured a number of al Qeada operatives, ended the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and made it more difficult for him and al Qeada to operate there. With the US suffering casualties, including killed and wounded, that now pass ten thousand, and Iraq in a state of anarchy, attracting terrorist from far and wide, Osama must certainly conclude that his 9/11 attack has paid off handsomely for him and his movement. He might even conclude that he is winning.

He must have been worried, though as the US presidential elections neared that this new hero anti-terrorism president, who had been so generous to him, might be replaced. So he tried to figure out a way to influence the outcome and keep his accommodating rival in place. What better way than to go on television to reinforce Bush's anti-terrorist message and remind the American public on Halloween that there was a real, live, boogie-man terrorist out there. Americans needed to keep their hero, anti-terrorist president around to protect them. Osama knew from experience that if he succeeded, he would be rewarded, in due course, for his action and that he would be able to chalk up another series of victories.

For his part, President Bush has never believed that Osama did him a favor on September 11, and he's sure that Osama's Halloween appearance had nothing to do with his recent election victory. But there are a lot of conspiracy theorists out there who believe otherwise. They note the long and intimate relationship between the House of Bush and the House of Saud and the amount of Saudi money that financed al Qeada's activities up to and even after 9/11. They point to the fact that right after the attack on the Twin Towers, while all commercial aviation in this country was grounded, that Bush arranged for the immediate departure by air from the United States of numerous members of bin Ladin's relatives. They also wonder why US troops were not used to capture bin Ladin when he and his men were surrounded at Tora Bora in Afghanistan, allowing him to escape into Pakistan. This is not an easy one to sort out. I guess we'll just have to wait and see whether Osama and Bush continue doing favors for each other.

Patrick Morris is a veteran of WWII and a retired Foreign Service Officer. Since retirement he has been writing poetry, novels, plays and magazine articles. His regional history of copper mining in Montana, "Anaconda Montana" is still in print and available on amazon.com.[Editor's note: For more information on this topic, "Crossing the Rubicon" is now in bookstores.]