On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped a bombshell at a Congressional hearing o­n Iraq.

He revealed he had a transcript of an "upcoming" audio message from Osama bin Laden that betrays the links between the latter and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

However, the White House may have put its foot in its mouth this time around.

Upon careful scrutiny of the audio message from Osama (broadcasted o­n the Arabic News Network Al-Jazeerah), it appears the Bush administration may have been so desperate to pin anything o­n Saddam and Osama that they did not wait to actually hear the contents of the message, nor provide adequate and reliable translation.

The Osama message expresses solidarity with the Iraqi people, advises them to remain steadfast in the coming invasion of their country and declares that Saddam and his aides are not important.

"It is not important if Saddam and his government disappear," the man thought to be Osama says. "This is a war against you, the Muslims, and you must take arms to defend yourselves."

US officials were quick to point out that Osama's message directly incriminates Iraq and proves the existence of ties between the al-Qaeda and Saddam.

The American media touted the official line before even hearing the tape, or awaiting a reliable translation. "Undeniably links Iraq with al-Qaeda," says o­ne CNN anchor.

Saddam's blood

And then something happened that neither the US administration nor the media anticipated: Osama called Saddam an apostate.

The audio message goes o­n to reveal that Osama believes Saddam to be a socialist and declares that "socialists and communists are unbelievers," thereby labeling Saddam an apostate of Islam, an infidel.

It is worth mentioning that the government of Iraq is quasi-socialist and secular, and not Islamic.

Walid Phares, an Arabic-speaking MSNBC analyst finds that the audio message undermines Saddam's regime: "Osama bin Laden does not care about Saddam, in fact he can't wait till the demise of Saddam; he is trying to position himself to offer Iraqis an alternative ideology - he calls socialism abhorrent to Islam."

The voice alleged to be Osama's in the audio message also called o­n the spilling of Saddam's blood: "His blood is halal." This wording is used to indicate what is permissive or legally allowed for the killing of a usurper or criminal.

The audio message also called forth the overthrow of governments supporting the US - Nigeria, Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

If Osama is effectively calling o­n Muslim Iraqis to overthrow Saddam and that Saddam is irrelevant in the coming war and Iraqis should not fight for him, how then can the US administration use this message to prove Saddam and al-Qaeda are linked?

That question left some analysts baffled.

Other messages

Kenneth Pollack, CNN analyst and anti-terrorism specialist, says that this is not the first time that Osama has used the plight of Iraq under sanctions and under Saddam to rally Muslims to his cause.

In fact, he has spoken of the Iraqi issue since 1996, and has not hidden the fact that he is growing distaste for Saddam's socialist, Baathist regime.

"The October audio message this year was a four-minute tape and Osama expressed sympathy for the Iraqi people," says Peter Bergen, CNN consultant o­n terrorism. "I don't see today's audio message as endorsing Saddam," he concludes.

If anything, Osama's message directed to the people, not leadership of Iraq, (any Arab speaker with two ears can testify that the opening lines of the audio message distinctly declare that this is a message to the Iraqi people) is ambiguous as pertains to alleged links with Saddam.

Nevertheless, US officials maintain that this is all the proof they need. However, the US viewing public must be aware that the they were o­nly allowed to view excerpts of the 16-minute audio message, and contrary to what CNN has been proclaiming, it is not all about Iraq.

The audio message also includes advice o­n refraining from alcohol and illicit sex, and respecting o­ne's parents, in addition to other spiritual advice.

The audio message will not go down so easily in Europe and the Middle East and will be seen as a desperate attempt by a US administration that has taken a bashing in Nato and at the UN to turn the tables around.

According to BBC, "BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, said the figure o­n the tape voiced support for Iraq, but that in no way did it prove a link between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi leadership."

Arabic speakers are sure to pour scorn o­n the official US line. US Congressional leaders, who have appeared o­n talk shows immediately following the excerpted broadcast of the audio tape have alluded to incorrect translations of the original Arabic content.

By default, the US public is offered a half-censored, half-baked version of the audio tape.

While US officials have conceded that the voice o­n the tape is indeed that of bin Laden, no o­ne has bothered to focus o­n why the man US President George W Bush vowed to get 'dead or alive' is very much alive and a clear and present danger.

Firas Al-Atraqchi, BSc (Physics), M A (Journalism and Communications), is a Canadian journalist with eleven years of experience covering Middle East issues, oil and gas markets, and the telecom industry. He is a columnist for YellowTimes.org