Zawahiri becoming the AQ Baghdad Bob?
posted at 7:50 am on April 18, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The leadership of al-Qaeda has stepped up its communications of late, but they don’t appear to be changing the messaging at all. The latest edition of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s missives comes just two weeks after his previous effort, and it turns out to be rather redundant. AQ’s winning in Iraq, and they’ll prove it by returning after we leave:
Marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, al Qaeda’s media arm released an audio recording, purportedly from the group’s second-in-command, saying U.S. troops there have failed.
“Where the American invasion stands now, after five years, is failure and defeat,” the voice on the tape — supposedly that of Ayman al-Zawahiri — said in the roughly 16-minute recording, which was posted Thursday on several militant Islamist Web sites. …
In the latest tape, the speaker says that if President Bush “kept all his troops in Iraq until the end of time and until they go to hell, they will not witness anything except failure and defeat, God willing.”
He also accuses Democrats seeking the presidency of “trying to deceive their people by saying that they will withdraw their troops from Iraq by talking to Iran.”
The invasion itself, though, did exactly what was intended — it drove Saddam Hussein from power and it ended the Ba’athist dictatorship he ran. Saying that the invasion didn’t succeed sounds oddly like Baghdad Bob reporting from Baghdad on state-run Iraqi TV that the Americans were suffering calamitous defeats while encircling his broadcasting station. Usually AQ refers to it as the occupation, which might make more sense but would still be just as incorrect.
The increasing rapidity of the messages speaks well for AQ’s technical networking but poorly for their effectiveness, especially in Iraq. Their plots get exposed before fruition in the West, and Iraq has turned into a meat grinder for AQI. Zawahiri can’t recruit many foreign fighters for Iraq, and those who do go wind up extremely disillusioned.
AQ appears to be compensating for its setbacks with ever-increasing claims of victory with ever-decreasing supporting evidence. The unreality of Zawahiri’s statements may have fooled people in the past when he issued them once every six months, making the tapes more of an event. Now, it’s just another Baghdad Bob moment.
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Al Qaeda News Agency report on Iraq.
Saddam had Iraq under control.
Yes oppressed, but under control.
It wasn’t the U.S. business to interfere.
Would we interfere in every country that has a dictator?
We supported the invasion but we were fooled by the rhetoric of winning it easily.
I blame the Intelligence Community who proved to be the Idiot Community.
Now that America opened the can of worms, we have to bear the consequences and never leave until the job is done, even if it takes 200 years. And it will.
Al Qaeda will have the region under their control if we leave.
The choice is clear.
Indy Conservative on April 18, 2008 at 8:06 AM
I kind of miss Bagdad Bob.
USBB on April 18, 2008 at 8:06 AM
Ayman al-Zawahiri and AQI are like Wimp Lo?
p40tiger on April 18, 2008 at 8:07 AM
Al-Zawahiri should be careful about making such statements. Harry Reid, John Murtha, or some other Dem might sue him for plagiarism.
Bigfoot on April 18, 2008 at 8:17 AM
This nut and his nutjob boss have been sitting at some Iranian beach resort. I simply cannot believe that they are in Pak and never been spotted. Seven years, no hard target?
How many intel and military assets have we had looking? How many man hours does that add up too for ZERO positive results?
If these two SOBs end up being located in Iran there are going to be more then wheels coming off the American bus.
Limerick on April 18, 2008 at 8:27 AM
With all the technology available to us, we should be able to re-dub Zowie’s videos almost instantaneously and re-release them all over the net. How hard is it to dub in “Durga-Durga! Jihad! Durga Durga! Mohammed! Durga Durga! We’re getting our asses kicked! Durga Durga Durga!!” Zowie mumbles into his beard such that he could be speaking in any number of obscure languages.
GeneSmith on April 18, 2008 at 8:28 AM
We’ll be fighting this war on terror forever unless and until we go after its source, Saudi Arabia. This is a country where they teach school children that Jews are apes and pigs, and that killing Americans is their greatest service to Allah.
Face it, Islam is like a cancer. If you don’t get it all, it will come back. All we’re doing in Iraq is light chemotherapy, when radical surgery is required.
fossten on April 18, 2008 at 8:28 AM
That beard and turban look pretty good on Harry Reid.
Now if we can just get him into one of those ghostly burkas, we’ll never have to see his stupid face again and he can enjoy being part of a Sheik’s harem.
NoDonkey on April 18, 2008 at 8:40 AM
Allah will roast his stomach in hell, God willing.
morganfrost on April 18, 2008 at 8:51 AM
Done and dusted back in 2003 yet its five years later and the troops are still there.
aengus on April 18, 2008 at 9:06 AM
I think you got the quotes mixed up. That’s the DNC’s talking points.
O-Dub on April 18, 2008 at 9:17 AM
“Where the American invasion stands now, after five years, is failure and defeat,” — Zawahiri
Been gettin’ your news from the NYT I see.
Tony737 on April 18, 2008 at 9:21 AM
Maybe Jimmy Carter should put out a request to meet with Zawahiri, then maybe we could find that bastard.
CP on April 18, 2008 at 9:25 AM
I liked his comments about the U.S. in cahoots with Shi’ite Iran. Haha, now that’s funny.
LT Nixon on April 18, 2008 at 9:28 AM
Oh wow! What a thought. It could even be dubbed in Hebrew! What a concept. The possibilities are endless.
Oldnuke on April 18, 2008 at 9:32 AM
FTFY.
nukemhill on April 18, 2008 at 9:44 AM
Check this one out guys:
Brought to you by Mcclatchy morons who said, “Report shows no AQ terrorist links between Saddam and terror,” all the while ignoring the other terrorist links Saddam had. What a joke — must be election season.
Richard Romano on April 18, 2008 at 9:44 AM
We’re still in Japan, Germany and South Korea too. In fact, we’re still in Kosovo, even though Mr. Hillary Clinton said 10 years ago that our troops would be home “by Christmas”.
Del Dolemonte on April 18, 2008 at 10:17 AM
“The invasion itself, though, did exactly what was intended — it drove Saddam Hussein from power and it ended the Ba’athist dictatorship he ran.”
It did nothing of the kind.
Saddam was supposed to have nukes…he didn’t.
Why the neocons were wrong(or lied) will come out eventually.
A little too early to try to rewrite history, isn’t it?
alphie on April 18, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Alphie — go here: it’s where you belong anyway.
Richard Romano on April 18, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Has it ever occurred to these bozos that God is NOT willing?
BLOC on April 18, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Who ever said that?
And numerous Democrats warned of Iraq’s WMD. It’s pretty usual for Democrats to skirt responsibility for their rhetoric and their votes and this is no different.
WMD was one of many justifications for the war.
War opponents are oblivious to reality, once again.
NoDonkey on April 18, 2008 at 10:42 AM
And they’re still in Germany, Japan, and gasp Korea!
I R A Darth Aggie on April 18, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Maybe this guy should be the Democrat candidate for prez after Obama implodes. The libs and him have similar talking points.
Travis1 on April 18, 2008 at 11:02 AM
No Donk,
The current neocon line is supposed to be, “So we invaded for the wrong reasons, we gotta stick around and fix what we broke!”
The idea that American troops occupying Iraq is what’s causing all the violence there shouldn’t enter your head…it might explode.
alphie on April 18, 2008 at 11:08 AM
They’re not needed in Germany, Japan, Kosovo or Iraq. South Korea is the only example mentioned of where they’re needed.
aengus on April 18, 2008 at 11:10 AM
At the end of the message, Zawahiri gave the official AQ endorsement to “our brother” Barack Obama.
Cicero43 on April 18, 2008 at 11:18 AM
And for those who miss Baghdad Bob, here’s the comprehensive site including quotes.
Canadian Infidel on April 18, 2008 at 11:27 AM
No, that’s the lunatic left surrender chorus’ completely erroneous interpretation of what’s going on.
The correct line is that Iraq is a central front in the war on terror and that the political and military success we are having, make it imperitive that we stay there and finish the job.
The far left’s loving sympathy for terrorism and their wet dreams over Democrat electoral success, are not sane reasons for Saigon II.
NoDonkey on April 18, 2008 at 11:48 AM
That would be Harry Reid, right?
29Victor on April 18, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Look around, NoDonk,
America is bored with the whole Middle East thing, from Palestine to Iran…it’s over.
Maybe not today, but soon…and for the rest of our lives.
Once we pull out, we’ll never have the money to go back.
alphie on April 18, 2008 at 12:19 PM
I’m no longer the only sad sack…
…and no longer in the minority concerning the battle against terrorism.
However; then there’s this.
J_Gocht on April 18, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Ho Chi Minh City, eh?
NoDonk, are you olde enough to recall “the domino theory”? That was Saigon I. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_theory
J_Gocht on April 18, 2008 at 12:51 PM
***NEWS FLASH***
WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY NOW…!
J_Gocht on April 18, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Somebody beat you to it, sort of.
Kafir on April 18, 2008 at 1:47 PM
When my father returned from the Philippines at the end of WWII, he bought a car and drove from San Francisco back to Dallas. In El Paso, TX, he stopped to buy a pair of shoes. The proprietor asked him for his stamp authorizing him to buy shoes. Since he had left for the war before rationing began (how’s that for a long deployment), he had no idea what the guy was talking about. Upon finding out my dad was a veteran, the guy let my dad buy the shoes anyway.
So I tell you what, when we get into another war where people have to ration shoes, rubber, etc., then I’ll be concerned about whether or not we can afford to expand the war.
Kafir on April 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
When the dollar “house of cards” crashes, we won’t have any warning. Keep that in mind.
fossten on April 18, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Right on, fossten!
How about our children and grand children; all the fine folks here, have them too…consider the horrendous debt we’re leaving them.
From time to time it just seems political partisanship; totally overrules their good common sense?
J_Gocht on April 18, 2008 at 3:43 PM
This war has cost us less than 1% of GDP, which was far less than WWII and less than Vietnam.
But keep pushing that bankrupting line guys, we’ve spent less on this war than on our atrocious public schools the last few years, I don’t recall anyone whining that public schools would be the ruin of us (although they might).
NoDonkey on April 18, 2008 at 4:31 PM
NoDonk, you’re tellin’ me and all those viewing this post; that the public education system in the good olde US of A is costing us 12 billion [that’s with a B] dollars a month?
I’m going to be very kind, NoDonk…
That’s absolute, undiluted, full bore, large dump, bovine feces!
Was I kind?
J_Gocht on April 18, 2008 at 6:10 PM
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