Tape Shows Al Qaeda Threatened By Obama: Experts

National Security Network reports on the upshot of the tape in which No. 2 Al Qaeda Ayman al-Zawarhri calls Barack Obama a "house negro":

Experts agree that the release of a new tape by Al Qaeda's second in command Ayman al-Zawahri indicates that Al Qaeda feels threatened and is on its heels after Obama's resounding victory. President-elect Obama's diverse background, along with his pledge to reverse many of the policies and approaches of the Bush administration on issues such as detentions at Guantanamo, torture and the war in Iraq has served to dramatically improve America's image, especially in the Muslim world.

Counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke explained, "Most of all, by returning to American values the world admires, Obama sets al Qaeda back enormously in the battle of ideas, the ideological struggle which determines whether al Qaeda will continue to have significant support in the Islamic world." Having thrived on the decline in America's world image, the impact of Obama's victory provides a direct challenge to Al Qaeda's negative depiction of the United States. Additionally, Obama's emphasis on shifting US attention from Iraq to Afghanistan represents a direct physical threat to Al Qaeda's leadership. America's improved global image and the new administration's focus on Afghanistan threatens Al Qaeda and has led to what experts see as a confused, racist, and off-kilter response reflective of an organization on the defensive.

Meanwhile, experts tell CNN that Obama is poised to restore America's image in the international community.

Comments

[yhgtup]

Boy, that's a "serious" picture of our Pres-elect. I like it!

[Speakchic]

For once they are in complete confusion on what to do and are showing how foolish they are. They're lashing out at Obama and are terrified that the world will fully turn against them once they're so called philosophy towards America is proven faulty with a new kind of politics under our new leader.

[DoTheMath]

Don't you love it when you agree with the "experts?" Of course, in this case, the logic is so obvious expertise is not really required.

[JJThinking]

I don’t doubt that AQ is afraid of Obama and what he means for world politics. That being said, this tape was very strange. From what I understand, there is at least one American AQ operative working with them, but this message seems obviously directed to Americans, particularly Obama. Whoever is behind the (translation of the) words of #2 is familiar with American culture, American race politics, and Obama himself, who has cited Malcolm X as an influence.

As juvenile as the insults seem, something about this tape doesn't sit right with me.

[eden4barack08]

If your mere existence depends on perpetuating hate, then suddenly comes a figure that everybody loves, it suddenly becomes hard for you to sell that hate. It's quite elementary actually.
AQ is not afraid of Obama per se', they're afraid of losing recruits, due to lack of animosity.
Why would you doubt that?

[afgail]

Obama is the game changer in the middle east. The "great satan" has been changed into the "beacon unto the world" once again. Al Queda has lost it's best recriuting tool, George Bush.

[JJThinking]

I agree. I'm just struck by the Westernization of this particular message.

[StillIRise]

We cannot assume that the rest of the world, even Al Qaida, is as ignorant about us as we are about them. I would wager that they know much more about the history and culture of their "enemy" than we know about ours, which is perhaps the major reason we've failed so miserably in our objectives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our government believed that we could just march into their territory and change their country, therein their history and their culture, to our will and at our whim, and that we would even be greeted with flowers for doing so. But we didn't know anything about them, and our ignorance led us to assume that their difference somehow made them intellectually, culturally and even militarily deficient. How quickly we found out just how wrong we were! I imagine that they probably know more about Malcolm X, and the truth of Malcolm X, than many of us do.

[kellygrrrl]

Need a little break? Play SuperObamaWorld.

http://superobamaworld.com/

[Banji81]

Gee thanks! Now I'll never get any work done... ;-)

[eden4barack08]

Cool, thanks.

[frappe]

I agree with the conclusion of the article. Al Qaeda is threatened by an Obama presidency for the reasons mentioned. As they should be. It's about time that we have intelligence and true leadership at the top. These past eight years have been insufferable.

[shirleyfeeney]

I'm just thinking off the top of my head here, and I totally agree with your comment...­but I can't help but question the thinking behind Bush keeping us and our focus on Iraq all this time, when clearly the threat is in Afghanistan. So that then begs the question..­.why? WAS he "inviting" another attack on the US by AQ in some sick and twisted way so that he could be the respected sheriff in town again? With AQ feeling this threatened by Obama, a man who truly means business there, it just makes me wonder...

January 20th can't come soon enough.

[eden4barack08]

BTW, that's a beautiful photo of Obama. Such clarity and intelligence in those piercing eyes, and flawless skin too.

[kellygrrrl]

wait until you see his cover shot on the new GQ. Yowzah'

[Chibikim]

OMG im waiting on that issue too RAWR ^__^ I

[eden4barack08]

Of course they're threatened! What's left to fear mongers, when you take the fear out? The world now thinks America is a great place. How do you recruit people to bl ow themselves up for a country that's now viewed as great?
The beauty, is that Obama scared them without a single weapon yet.
Had McCain won, they would've been worrying about the overflow in new recruits.

[applebutter]

"threatens Al Qaeda and has led to what experts see as a confused, racist, and off-kilter response reflective of an organization on the defensive.­"

The right-wing relious zealots in the Republican Party reacted the same way. At least ours aren't criminals, yet. I wonder how the wingnuts think (and I use the word "think" loosely here) of all this and reconcile it with their campaign against Obama as muslim - which, one infers, is somehow suggestive that he is an Islamic extremist.

[idest]

Oh, they're criminals alright. Even if they never get charged, they're criminals.

[Berkeleyan]

As a woman, I just had the sixth sense feeling before the election that AQ would want to see another Repub president, who would waste resources in Iraq (not Afghanistan to go after AQ - wrong focus) and perhaps make the economy worse (we all become poorer and more miserable). When I shared my feeling with my friend, she laughed and agreed, mentioning that the AQ website was hacked and it showed that they wanted McCain to win (right on with my fear).

So now, I am not surprised that QA feels threatened by President Elect Obama. Sorry AQ, we will work hard with our new President to rebuild America, our life, and your terrorism will be eliminated from America and the face of this earth.

[Scarllatti]

Yeah, now that America will focus attention to Afghanistan, where those who murdered our citizens came form, Al Qaeda is suddenly realizing that the day of reckoning has come. They kept Republicans and GWB in Iraq for years as a form of diversionary war while they regrouped in Afghanistan.

I believe that with the new good-will that America will enjoy with the election of Barack Obama, it is very possible that we will deal a deadly blow to this ugly monster.

[srdon]

correction Scarllatti --- most of the 9/11 attackers were Saudis; none of them were Afghans.

[harriscrl3]

I think the reason why they didnt interrupt the election it would have made for better propaganda. They didnt believe that Obama was going to win. They thought McCain would win and they would say see we told you America is racist and evil they refuse to elect an AA man. That would have made more fodder for the propanganda machine that America is the evil empire. But if they had interrupted with terrorism and McCain won it could be rationalize that fear of terrorism won out like it did with Kerry and that McCain is better equipped to deal with it. They really didnt bank on the American people electing Obama. I bet now they wished they had send out a tape before the election.

Carol

[Berkeleyan]

Thanks, Carol. You are very wise!

[tobyjack]

While I do see Al Queda as an enemy, the true enemies of America have been sitting in the White House for the last almost 8 years, raping the environment, eroding civil liberties, pushing the politics of greed, division and hate. To truly show the rest of the world that America has regained our moral authority wee must prosecute Bush, Cheney, et al for their crimes against the U.S.A. and the world.

[thepianodiva]

Boy, you can say that again, Toby. We have met the enemy and they are (were) in our own House.

[HalR]

I agree with you totally, toby. It is past time to be rid of the Bush/Cheney admin. Ready for the Obama/Biden changes we really, really need.

[addictedtokaos]

F Yeah!!!!!!!

[Chibikim]

Amen to that tobyjack!

[MSReynolds]

So, a bunch of Obama/democratic sycophants say the dems and Obama scare al qaeda? Stop the presses!

[chronic]

Well al qaeda sure aren't afraid of the dry drunk in the White House.

[Scarllatti]

It is only je.rks like you that cannot read the hand writting on the wall. Unless you belong the Al Qaeda and have some inside information that they are not threatened by Obama's victory, then, just close your trap and listen to the experts talk.

[patriotic008]

learn to spell

[bullwinkle88]

It's common sense if you try to think about it yourself.

Bush has driven this country into a ditch with his ideology, his Cowboy Diplomacy, and countless other idiotic decisions. If you were an enemy of this country, wouldn't you gloat about this?

So how would you feel if now America becomes what it once was and even exceeds that into what it could be? Of course you would attack the new administration and do everything you could to demean it. Something like your comment tried to do here.

C'mon now...thin­k for yourself..­.give it a try...I know conservatives have a hard time doing that but I want you to be very brave.

[patriotic008]

wait i just got what you meant to say. nice one! too bad you can't trick people into thinking your intelligence by hurling a few around. lol nice try though

[Nomccain]

I firmly believe that Obama will get us out of Iraq with honor while McCain would have kept borrowing and spending to keep the war alive until he had accomplished everything that Al Queda wanted us to.....whi­ch was to destroy the U.S. Economy. They nearly accomplished that already under Bush and Cheney.

[EarthToZoey]

I hope Richard Clarke has an appointment in the Obama administration.

[DFutureIsNow]

And I knew this all along but republicans said the opposite,a always liberals are always right.