CNN reports that bin Laden aide al-Zawahiri continues to threaten the US:

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"You can elect Bush, Kerry or Satan himself, it doesn't matter to us," he said. "What's important to us is the U.S. policies toward Muslims."

Al-Zawahiri said the United States was "playing the game of elections" along with Afghanistan and Iraq.

Both U.S. candidates, he said, were fighting over "the acceptance of Israel. This proves there is no reasoning with America, but to force them to accept our position by force."

CIA officials were analyzing the tape to assess its authenticity, a spokesman said.


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What is the U.S. policy towards Muslims? And now that our election is over, even Pakistan has announced that it's no longer looking for bin Laden. Will he become the new Loch Ness monster? Will future generations wonder whether or not he even existed? And, yes, I do think that bin Laden uses Israel rather cynically. As does Bush.