Bin Laden claims to have calculated casualties

WASHINGTON -- Osama bin Laden claims he calculated in advance how many casualties "the enemy" would suffer on Sept. 11, according to administration descriptions of a videotape that President Bush said "just reminded me of what a murderer he is."

"For those who see this tape, they realize that not only is he guilty of incredible murder, he has no conscience and no soul," Bush told reporters Monday.

Two senior administration officials said privately that Bush wants to let the world see the tape seized in Afghanistan. They said he was holding off on a final decisio¹n while intelligence officials authenticate their Arabic translation with experts and recheck anything that might betray intelligence-gathering methods.

The tape could be released in the next two days, officials said.

Bush commented on the chilling tape during a White House celebration of Hanukkah. "I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah, or the joy of Christmas, or celebrating peace and hope. This man wants to destroy any semblance of civilization for his own power and his own good," Bush said.

The tape, which was discovered about 10 days ago in an abandoned apartment in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, was described to reporters by the small circle of administration officials who have seen the video or read a translation of its contents.

"The body language that I saw, really was just disgusting. I mean, that people would take delight in having killed innocent civilians is horrible," said Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

Apparently made by an amateur with a handheld camera, the videotape shows bin Laden being interviewed or meeting with a cleric about the suicide hijackings.