The one thing that seems pretty clear to me is that whoever provided this tape is seeking to increase the likelihood of this war.

So that could be "Bin Laden", or it could be the US Government.

Either way it doesn't do one bit to provide any kind of evidence about Iraqi links with Al Qaida. Even if it's genuine, all we hear is Bin Laden slapping the Iraqis on the back with a knife in his hand.

This war must suit the people who organised September 11 down to the ground.

September 11th was a matter of lighting the fuse, this is the explosion. Perhaps they are wrong in guessing that the long term outcome of this will be an isolated America in a world that has turned in the direction Bin Laden dreamed off, but to me it seems pretty certain that that must be what they hope to achieve, and that this war on Iraq will be seen by them as a very significant step in that direction.