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.