Some are claiming, on the basis of an audio tape, that bin Laden lives.

A preliminary U.S. government assessment indicates the voice is bin Laden's. "It sounds like his voice," said a U.S. official with access to intelligence reports, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It sounds like his voice?

Do they think that there's no possibility of a Levantine version of Rich Little?

There's this technology called "voiceprinting," that's only two or three decades old. And even it's nowhere near as reliable as a fingerprint. But even given that, we don't have to rely on what it "sounds" like. What does the actual analysis say?

Get out the crayolas, and color me scarlet skeptical.

And I was extremely disappointed in Hannity and Colmes tonight. They had their "military news analyst," retired General McInerny, who said that the tape provided a link between Al Qaeda, and the Moscow theatre atrocity, and Bali. And Iraq.

Excuse me?

Let's grant, for the sake of argument, that Osama survived the Tora Bora bombardment almost a year ago, and that it really was his voice on the tape.

How does his taking credit for various activities provide a link?

All it means is that he wants to hog the glory for things in which he may or may not have had any involvement. We cannot conclude from it that he planned, or was even aware of those atrocities, prior to their occurrence.

Yet McInerny drew that conclusion, stated it on the air, and neither Hannity or Colmes challenged him on it. I think they're all overpaid.

Not that either H or C are exemplars of analytical genius, but this kind of "analysis" seems too typical of a media that's big on ratings, and shy on intelligence.

As of 0500 EST, NBC news is saying that government sources have CONFIRMED that the voide on the tape is Osama. One assumes voice print technology or something similar, if the government is willing to state it unequivocally. But then again, the sources are "unnamed".

Fox News wasn't going anywhere near that far on a limb at 7:00 a.m. ET, probably because they know -- as NBC apparently does not -- that "unnamed sources" can say damn near anything they want, and no one can fact-check them.

Assuming it is his voice its telling that he no longer wants to be viewed on video tape any longer. Probably looking like Khan at the end of Star Trek 2 and doesn't want to freak out his followers.

First, welcome back!!

Now, I'm aligning myself with the rest of the technologically conversant. IF, the government knows, for certain, that this, or any, tape is or is not OBL, they have not shown their hand. Given the fact that we lost track of OBL, when it was reported that we were listening in on his cell phone, the NSA and CIA will neither "confirm nor deny" what they know.