Terrorist Endorsements

It has definitely been the week for foreign policy endorsements. Colin Powell dramatically endorsed Barack Obama on Sunday, and now today we learn that Al Qaeda has endorsed John McCain. The Washington Post and AP reported today that Al-Qaeda affiliated websites have endorsed Senator McCain, saying that he will continue the policies of George Bush that have weakened America and strengthened them. In response the McCain campaign has organized a panicky conference call that will likely try to dismiss Al Qaeda's endorsement of Senator McCain as ridiculous.

They could have a point on the ridiculousness of terrorist endorsements if they hadn't spent the last six months claiming that Barack Obama had been endorsed by terrorist groups like Hamas. You know you really shouldn't throw launch RPGs if you live in a glass house. And McCain sure has launched a lot of RPGs. McCain's website currently reads:

Hamas Has Praised Barack Obama's Foreign Policy

•    "During An Interview On WABC Radio ... Top Hamas Political Adviser Ahmed Yousef Said The Terrorist Group Supports Obama's Foreign Policy Vision." (Mosheh Oinounou, "A Hamas Problem For Obama?" Fox News' "Cameron's Corner" Blog, foxnews.com, 4/16/08)

•    Yousef: "We don't mind-actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance..." (Mosheh Oinounou, "A Hamas Problem For Obama?" Fox News' "Cameron's Corner" Blog, foxnews.com, 4/16/08)

McCain in April told conservative bloggers:

I think it's very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States. So apparently has Danny Ortega and several others. I think that people should understand that I will be Hamas's worst nightmare....If senator Obama is favored by Hamas I think people can make judgments accordingly.

McCain's deputy campaign manager Christian Ferry even sent an email to donors with a subject line that read "Hamas Weighs In On U.S. Presidential Election." The email read:

Barack Obama's foreign policy plans have even won him praise from Hamas leaders. Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Hamas Prime Minister said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America." We need change in America, but not the kind of change that wins kind words from Hamas, surrenders in Iraq and will hold unconditional talks with Iranian President Ahmadinejad.

And then this week, McCain said he was proud of an RNC anti-Obama mailer that evoked 9-11 and said Obama would just talk to terrorists.

Maybe if McCain hadn't launched all these attacks, he could be taken seriously when he dismisses Al Qaeda's endorsement. Unfortunately for McCain his house is made of glass.

Comments

[SamEllison]

Hamas wants peace in the Middle-East,
so does Sen Obama.
UBL wants war in the Middle-East,
so does Sen McCain.
Pretty simple.

[kylennblack]

Well...they're kind of right.

If McCain is elected again, he will continue to weaken us economically, militarily and on foreign policy and the baddies will sit back and giggle.

Obama has a shot at diffusing some of this.

You know your country is in the tank when freakin' Al-Qaida says something that makes sense.

[NationalTreasure]

John McCain is such a maverick that al Qaeda realizes how irractic and out of control he would be and look forward to McCain's failed 19th century neo-con idealogy approach to foreign policy and national security.

[sociocanuck]

Which one of his houses is made of glass?

[JayeSF]

Honestly...progressives shouldn't be getting all giddy about this...there's something else going on here....

The website message was collected by SITE, one of a gaggle of the bush administrations private intelligence (you gotta use THAT term with a grain of salt, no?)contractors.

Why would they release this...why would the administration allow this to be released....if it was going to hurt mccain ?

There's something else going on here.....

Keep an eye...something else may spring up here in the next week....

[WasteNJ]

I remember SITE getting pretty pissed off after they gave the Administration some intel on terrorist financing, on the condition that they not go public with it. Bush turned around and gave a press conference, which compromised SITE operatives and their intel network that took years to build in that area.
Maybe a little payback?

[boricua72]

I can not wait until tonight. I'm sure Countdown will slame McSame, Fixed News, Rush, and all of the other conservative bloggers who critized Obama for Hamas's endorsement and yet will not say anything about Al Qaeda's endorsement to McCain-Palin.

[BBackSoon]

I think we should see one of those light hearted jabs from Senator Obama complete with tongue in cheek smile.

This is not serious and it only an issues because if they had endorsed Obama FIX News would be singling it from the rooftops, playing it 24/7 in the crawl and devoting an hour each night to the significance of Obama’s friendship with terroristS.