Al Qaeda to Obama: 'Welcome aboard'

Townhall.com ^ | November 30, 2008 | Kevin McCullough

[Kaslin]

One theme that has become noticeably absent from Barack Obama's recent press announcements, his weekly internet broadcasts, or his discussion of public policy from his imaginary "Office of the President Elect" (complete with its own seal) has been the discussion of immediately bringing the troops home.

The signs of Barack Obama going back on his biggest direct campaign promise are numerous. Secretary Gates is slated to stay on as his Defense Secretary. By extension that means that a number of items will likely not be touched. For starters it is likely the new administration will not revise Iraq policy given that the final regions to be turned over may even occur as he is being sworn in. He is also highly unlikely to interfere with the Gates/Petraeus combination that secured the victory in Iraq and are ready to transport that model to finish the business in Afghanistan.

This week's terror attacks in India however may be the most significant signal to date that Obama is willing to adapt to a much more Bushian doctrine than anything seen before. Late in the day on Wednesday of this past week the Obama camp also toughened their rhetoric in noticeable tone that looked nothing like what Obama campaigned on for the last two years.

“President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India,” Obama spokesman Brooke Anderson said. “These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks."

Destroy terrorist networks?

If you want to see Google News or Lexis Nexis sputter and short-circuit look for the last time Barack Obama was ever on the record as wishing to "destroy" terrorists of any variety.

Maybe this change has been brought on by sheer pragmatism, complete hyprocrisy, or an outright deception to the far-left progressive wing-nuts that even this week had to finally admit that Obama's shift in direction, and specifically his naming of Gates as Defense Secretary means:

"The message would be clear: even Democrats agree that Democrats can't run the military."

For someone who thought that Obama was more the wrong choice for America than McCain was the right one, I have to say these shifts impress me and give me some pause for thought. Obama's appointments have largely been Clinton retreads, a Reagen fed guy, and a George W. Bush defense secretary. These aren't the worst appointments that could be made by the man who held the hands of and personally nursed hopes and dreams of the Soros, MoveOn, and DailyKos constituency. 

And the reason it is so vital that those groups never be coddled--as we saw play out on our television over Thanksgiving--is because their belief in America's weakness cannot be allowed to become the belief in secret or public of the new Commander in Chief. 

Ayman Al Zawihiri in referring to Obama as a house negro one week before the attacks commenced would have followed an Al Qaeda pattern of engagement. Have a senior official make a publicly inflammatory audio or video tape, then according to the timing agreed upon the series of attacks get carried out. It is not surprising to me to now be hearing of ties to Al Qaeda by the suicide-minded terrorists in Mumbai that executed a plan of ten attacks. Couple that with the warnings of the plot planned on the northeast corridor train systems in the U.S. and the "office of the president elect" may have gone from Thanksgiving feast to massive indigestion.

The point is clear, Joe Biden was right, the terrorists are waiting to test the will, deliberation, and persistence of the new administration. There will be a continual hope by those who wish to kill us that an opening will appear. An opening of weakness on the part of the American vigilence that they can exploit and carry out murder and mayhem.

It may have been very politically expedient to continue to degrade the Bush administration on the final weeks of the campaign trail. It may have been very provocative and seemingly "enlightened"--or at least labeled so by the press--for Obama to run on a completely anti-War on Terror platform. But as the President-Elect began to receive his first intelligence briefings and the "Oh (expletive deleted)" factor began to set in. Obama seems to have recognized that what America faces in the world today is an opposition that is committed, persistant, and extremely sophisticated in how it must be dealt with.

So if the far left nutters are sitting in the pajamas today feeling a huge bit of buyers' remorse for electing a man who appears to be ready to continue to implement the Bush Doctrine as we move forward to defend ourselves, let's just all affirm those fears rather heartily.

And on this weekend following the holiday to do so, let's all give thanks that Barack Obama is reading the principles of Abraham Lincoln, and steeling himself for the defense of our citizens in a pattern that is fashioned far more closely to the Bush administration than any of us--right or left--ever saw coming.

[mewzilla]

And on this weekend following the holiday to do so, let's all give thanks that Barack Obama is reading the principles of Abraham Lincoln, and steeling himself for the defense of our citizens in a pattern that is fashioned far more closely to the Bush administration than any of us--right or left--ever saw coming.

Cool yer jets, pard. Talk is cheap. Let's see if Barry really walks the walk.

[SouthDixie]

After numerous rounds of 'We don't even know if Osama is still alive', Barrack Hussein Obama has now been telling everyone he will capture Osama Bin Laden when elected.'

So, Osama himself decided to send Barrack Hussein Obama a letter in his own handwriting to let him know he was still in the game.

Obama opened the letter and it contained a single line of coded message:

370H-SSV-0773H

Obama was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Howard Dean.

Dean and the DNC and his aides had no clue either, so they sent it to Joe Biden.

Joe Biden could not solve so it was sent to the FBI and the CIA.

Eventually they asked John McCain and his Staff to look at it.

And within minutes McCain's Staff e-mailed Obama with this reply: 'Tell Obama he's holding the message upside down'

[supremedoctrine]

Yeah. Part of Biden’s “warning” he left out was that we would probably not be all too thrilled with the new Administration’s response to being “tested”, that it would look like “the wrong response”, but to be patient, they know what they’re doing.....maybe that’s changed too, but I doubt it. The irredeemably stupid fact is that Obama could turn out to be nothing more than Bush all over again, on ALL fronts, and his backers would still love him, and forgive him for everything. We seem to forget the degree to which American Politics and the candidates it disgorges, especially the Left candidates, is so much more a matter of style than anything else: they just wanted “their guy”, “their team” in the White House, and the other guy out. Rah, rah.

[angkor]

Obama may now be learning what he only vaguely suspected: that the threats are real, that stern measures are needed (e.g. Bush Doctrine), and that his most ardent fans are selfish little cowards who would have America weaken itself so that they can enjoy their bagels, Starbucks, and the Sunday NYT in peace.

We shall see.

[hershey]

Leftists needn’t worry. Their god, Obama, is ‘evolving’, so expect 180 degree moves on a daily basis. Meanwhile, more Muslim attacks to come, and they’ll tell us not to hate them. It’s not violence, per se. It’s just, in the words of MA. Einstein-like gov. and confidante of the Great One, (Deval Patrick), explaining 9/11 — ‘a tragic misunderstanding’. So India’s just endured the latest in a series of tragic misunderstandings courtesy of Pakistani Jihadists. No big deal.

[SECURE AMERICA]

The signs of Barack Obama going back on his biggest direct campaign promise are numerous

A SOCIALIST POLITICIAN LIED?
NOW WHO SAW THAT COMING!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! That one’s getting passed on. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m predicting more and similar attacks like this continuing all around the world. We are all going to feel like we’ve been pecked to death by chickens at the end of these next four years.

And NONE of it will be cause for alarm in the MSM. Look at how EVERYTHING leading up to 9/11 was swept under the rug by the MSM with Clinton on board! They’ll call for “arrests” and just treat this stuff like general thuggery; not the terrorism that it truly is.

It’s going to take another 9/11 on American soil, and one of greater magnitude, to get us all on the same page again.

*SIGH*

[LibLieSlayer]

His supporters... at least the leftist ones... are already at war with hussein. They are steaming mad and one class action suit has been brought. I read all of this right here on FR. He will fail... and he will taste the salted whip that his side beat President Bush with every day. He is dumber than a box of rocks... a muzzie and a commie... America will grow to despise his very essence. He will become the “worst” President in our Nation's history... and we will win back Congress in 2010 because of it.

LLS

[RipSawyer]

We shall see.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Well, if it turns out that he underestimated the threat and he is indeed willing to get out of the way and allow Gates and company to defend the country that will be a great relief. Let us pray.

[yoe]

(...as to the "Oh (expletive deleted)" factor")

[UCANSEE2]

Thanks for posting the article.

---

“The message would be clear: even MARXISTS agree that Democrats can’t run the military.”

[mlocher]

For someone who thought that Obama was more the wrong choice for America than McCain was the right one, I have to say these shifts impress me and give me some pause for thought.

Had these "shifts" taken place during the presidential race or the primaries, Obama never would have been elected. I am guessing that the far left is fuming right now.

But the fact remains that Obama has done very little other than utilize words in his "attack on terror." the proof is in the pudding. It is easy to follow someone else's lead, but more difficult to be the leader. Let's see if he has the courage to knock out Iran's nuclear facility.

[Cacique]

bump for later

[FastCoyote]

[The signs of Barack Obama going back on his biggest direct campaign promise are numerous.]

Like we couldn’t see this coming on Iraq. I mean, a quick retreat would lead to a bloodbath with half a million killed and Iran sucked in. Someone has wised up Obambi that if he wants to keep his arrogant ass off the chopping block he needs to be making real world decisions.

Of course, that’s why Obama is vulnerable, once the bloom is off the rose, everyone will hate him.

[rightwinggoth]

amazing. i might actually end up respecting obama, if not liking him.

[bert]

......We shall see......

He is as you have described his fans. He will believe that the thoughts of peace and love will prevail.

[do the dhue]

Secretary Gates is slated to stay on as his Defense Secretary.

Obama's thought process:
Keeping Gates is the best way to end failed Bush policy.... er ....To end failed Bush policy, we must keep the people he appointed....er....OK, to keep from creating any more failed Bush policy, we must keep people like Gates....er....OK, OK, I got it! Here: to keep from having failed Obama policies, we are going to keep the failed Bush policies in tact....

I don't know what the bozo is thinking, but I find all this kind of amusing. And it proves to me that Bush, Gates, and Petraeus were right and all the crap Obama was singing about failed Bush policies was way off base.

[SERKIT]

...his imaginary "Office of the President Elect" (complete with its own seal)...

Instead of "Possumus Vero" does it now say "Quoniam Nos Es Tumidus"?