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

[Nomccain]

Kind of puts the old Republican BS to bed about Obama being a Muslim and siding with Al Queda doesn't it? Obama is a leader and appears to be an honest one. What a change! For the next 4 years at least, we won't have to listen to Republican lies.....what a concept!

[toochie50]

Love this pic of our new president - he looks like a b a d m *ph u k e r ! (I hear Shaft playing in the background!)

[EarthToZoey]

Haha! This picture of Obama is hilarious! They could have found a less goofy expression than that, right??

[chronic]

This pic is your version of a goofy expression?



I would hate to see your pic.

[EarthToZoey]

Pardon? Well, goodness, I guess my observation apparently offended you. That certainly wasn't my intention. I just find his expression in this picture to look goofy -- as if they caught him at an inopportune time.

[EarthToZoey]

Also, must you add insult at the end of your comment? I think you mistook my comment as an insult to the President-Elect, which it most certainly was not.

[anopenmind]

Oh I think it's quite sexy! Yum

[Pema]

From my understanding al Quieda sent the call for memembers to attack the US. This will only serve to unite us more. No American will see red or blue, we will see only the Red ,White and Blue. If they had the bulloks to face an American face to face they would by a smished form on the ground.
They want to be the bullies of the world, and in the end, bullies always fail.

[StillweRise]

This is, perhaps, the most ironic twist of the entire campaign. The Republicans spent the better part of this decade telling you AQ 'wanted' Democrats in office. NOW it seems they are more afraid of Obama (who hasn't even been sworn in yet), than they EVER were of GWB.

IT IS ALWAYS JUST SOOOOO SWEET WHEN REPUBLICAN B.S. COMES HOME TO ROOST !!!

YES... I "AM" GLOATING !

[AsianAfricanAMERICAN]

Can't believe I saying this, but Republicans ain't the enemy. These clowns are.

[StillweRise]

on one front, you are absolutely correct. Republicans are Americans, and are not the enemy.

BUT.... when a party knowingly and willingly misinforms its supporters and propagandizes its citizens and defends actions that subvert the constitution, and out CIA agents, then they ARE the enemy.

Here's to re-uniting all Americans.

(but i'm still gloating at the republicans stunning fall)

[bitterindependent]

"Law 36

Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone....... The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem."
-Robert Greene

while AQ is not a "petty problem" silence (for now) is the best strategy.....

[Skepticat]

Back in the 1970's there was an alphabet soup of terrorist causes - IRA, FLN, PLO, OAS, FLQ, Black September, Red Brigade, Bader-Meinhoff and many more. Regardless of ideology be it nationalist, marxist, right wing colonials, etc all had at least one common idea. They ALL believed that after they committed their acts of terror/liberation that the "terrorized" government of the day would over react causing THE MASSES to rise up and side with them against the oppressors. Didn't happen - because the governments of the day understood how the game was played and generally didn't create new excuses to be disliked. Obama is smart, focused and avoids making enemies for free - unfortunately Bush Jr missed the lesson.

[denicci1977]

They don't know what to do since Obama won. They have no reasons to make up to hate him or attack. They wanted John McCain to win so they could use him as a Bushbot to continue to hate Americans and see the world stay against us. Majority of the world was hoping for an Obama win so we could all move in a positive direction , people shed tears of joy in many countries. I am still moved by this.The only tears shed over Bush was for the lives he helped destroy.

[Hekkenschroeder]

What are you talking about? They still have plenty to hate about American with Barack Obama in the White-House. You're forgetting that it's not just Bush who establishes American foreign policy - but Congress as well. Even if Barack wanted to, he couldn't eradicate the things about America that make it so hated. He's not going to dismantle American military and financial support for Israel; he's not going to reduce American global and political influence abroad; he's not going to prevent active US interference in the domestic issues of sovereign nations that disagree with the US.

It's ridiculous to think that anti-American sentiments spread on account of George Bush. Bush was simply the front-man, the easy target. But rather, it's the entire spectrum of American political and economic intrusion on the rest of the world that gives rise to those sentiments. This newfound hope that Barack Obama = a different America is almost as foolish as the pundits who say "they hate us because of our freedom."

[cjgnew]

America has sent a powerful message to Al-Qaeda by electing BO. It told the rest of the world that the concept of equality in America is not just a pipe dream. If an African American can be elected president of the U.S., then surely America is really changing for the better. BO's election is going to seriously affect Al-Qaeda's recruiting results, and it's not going to be pretty for them. Thank you America!

Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO

[larry278]

I have a quibble: please refer to President Elect Obama by using the 3 initials of his name, BHO. It is the established custom & practice to use 3 letters to refer to a POTUS, save in the instance of POTUS #41, George Herbert Walker Bush, ie GHWB. For instance Franklin D Roosevelt is referred to as FDR. The initials, BO, have been pre-empted by adervising; Life Boy Soap, referred to body odor as BO. If you were listening to American radio in the 1930-1940's you were bound to hear of Life Boy Soap & BO. Please refer to Barack Hussein Obama as BHO.

[cjgnew]

Thank you Larry for your correction. As a very early Barack supporter who went out to buy and read his books as soon as he announced his candidacy and donated to his campaign, I meant no disrespect. Nevertheless, I will refer to our President-elect as BHO from now on if that is the general consensus, even though I believe the blogosphere medium is an informal one, and as such we don't need to be as formal here. Since I believe in treating all people with respect, including our President-elect, I will be happy to conform. I would appreciate reading some feedback from others on this topic, however, in order to make sure that is what I should do.

Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO

[ivillage]

Black caucus says no special relationship to Obama: http://www.sefermpost.com/sefermpost/2008/11/black-caucus-says-no-special-relationship-to-obama.html

Obama is 1st Columbia Graduate to Become President: http://www.sefermpost.com/sefermpost/2008/11/obama-is-1st-columbia-graduate-to-become-president.html

[willwallace]

Why wasnt the campaign ever using this to win votes, its definitely possible. I never heard this one, but anything good for the country is worth it. Even though he already won thank G o d

[cjgnew]

Lots of us in the blogosphere have been alluding to that effect, but pushing this subject would have shown too much of Obama's hands, and, as you know, it's not a smart thing to do to display all of your cards to your enemy.

Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO

[mjtaylor22]

I saw a cartoon that put it perfectly. How can A-Q spew hate and disdain, and incite their followers to hate An African American President named "Barrack Hussein Obama" or the Great nation that elected him.
Imagain this conversation with those they are trying to convert to hate America saying but his name and his back grouond , he is notsome American Elite, he is working class guy who pulled himself up by his boot straps and his name is like a kinda religious name, which has translations that vary through out Europe and the Middle East, gonna be much harder to convince people this is a guy to hate and then he is just so smooth

[wtheman]

Sure they're worried. People in the White House won't be telling them what to do anymore.

[AbyssinianLion]

Hahaha!

[wtheman]

C'mon. We all know who's pulling the strings. And it's not Bela Lugosi from Plan 9 from Outer Space either.

[willwallace]

terrible if you really believe that, you have no proof, just a conspiracy on google

[wtheman]

I have as much proof as the Bush administration did when they went into Iraq...

[Grunty1]

They are worried because they are out of a job.

[soot]

Al-Zawarhri claims a moral authority in the middle east, yet advocates murder and uses ugly rhetoric that slanders an entire group of people for their color. He can go to hell.

I hope they did get complacent under George Bush. I hope they mistook his character and his poor judgment for our collective political intent, and they get crushed in Afghanistan where they should have been crushed seven years ago.

[Grunty1]

[Al-Zawarhri claims a moral authority in the middle east, yet advocates murder and uses ugly rhetoric that slanders an entire group of people for their color. He can go to hell.]

Change just a couple proper names, and it just as accurate of the modern Republican party.

[Unsui]

"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."

I have heard many experts describe the true nature of the radical Islamist terror threat as just this, a battle of ideas. If this is true, and I believe it is, doesn't it make sense that our leadership be smarter, and have better ideas, than our enemies? I for one am very happy to have a man of Obama's quality leading this fight.

[MJCole]

Every major war America has been involved with since... oh World War I at least has been a battle of ideas. This is why America usually (Vietnam being the big exception). Think about it, World War I & II, Korea, The Cold War. No matter the idea was Hitler's version of the perfect race or the Kiaser's totaltarianism, or the Soviet Marxist-Lennist school of economics America's victory was almost a certainty.

In fact as I recall, in the moive 'Good Night And Good Luck' Ed Murrow states that: 'the United States is in a war of ideas against the Soviet Union'. America's greatest threats are not external, they never have been, they are internal, fear, fear of communism, fear of terrorism, fear of loosing a job, fear of well anything! I suspect that is why Arianna wrote a whole book on fear, Michael Moore a movie and some of the most rousing rehetoric from FDR was on fear. We really have nothing to fear except fear itself.