As the media in US goes ga-ga over the most recent statement of Osama bin Laden, there are some strong voices who have racked their brains to understand the motive behind Laden's statement and more importantly its timing.

Yes, you are right! The countdown for American Presidential polls has begun and again the subject matter turns inadvertently turns towards Fight Against terrorism. Now, it is apt to consider what this means to the average American voter.

According to analysts, Laden's statement has started turning 'undecided' voters towards Bush/Cheney, as most of Americans tend to believe that Bush is more aggressive than Kerry in the war against terror. Thanks to Bush for making Kerry look like a softer, pliable candidate to fight a Global War against terrorists, arguably the worst problem experienced by man on earth.

One might wonder how much sway do these undecided voters hold in a Presidential election. Logical, since they account for only 2-3 %, they might not have a big impact in any election, but this election, they certainly should because the exit polls and the poll pundits have predicted the victory margin to be very very narrow-- say around 2-3 per cent-Gotcha! That's the 2-3 % we are talking that matters hell-a-lot.

Now, let us see what Laden thinks and what he has tried to convey. At the outset, it seems that Laden wants Americans to vote for Bush/Cheney and not Kerry/Edwards.

It is perfectly normal to think that Bush is the worst enemy of Laden and Laden would do anything to see Bush (and his coterie) off White House.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case because if Bush gets defeated, Laden turns jobless. On the other hand, if Bush is re-elected he'll continue his present policies, which Laden (and his coterie) think and propagate as anti-Islamic. Laden also thinks that Bush and his administration will persist with their plans irrespective of UN mandate, which in effect means more Afghanistan's and Iraq's, because every-time Bush talks he would almost always embolden the terrorists.

This will in-turn enable Laden to muster enough support throughout the Islamic world and let the opposition against Bush grow much stronger. The stronger the opposition to Bush the stronger the hatred towards western world. And perhaps the beginning of regional clashes against anything that is western.

If we think for a while it would emerge that, that is exactly the goal with which Laden started his so-called crusade against what he terms as the Infidel Forces.

Laden might have thought that if Bush gets defeated and Kerry gets elected, the hatred and animosity of the Islamic world against US might not assume such enormous proportions, let alone growing, and his long-term goals of world-wide clashes against western influence might not fructify.

So, it could be that Laden has timed his statements well enough to influence the US voters (against Kerry) and eventually help Bush get re-elected for another term, while he garners enough support and resources to plan for another September 11!

Nonetheless, as the countdown for the most-keenly fought US Presidential poll begins, it is interesting to know whether the American voter will let Bush continue or show him the way, thus seeking the Change (that many feel) America needs badly.