Not Afraid of McCain's Secret Plan to Get Bin Laden

by Eric Martin

On the heels of my post yesterday pointing out that both Russia and al-Qaeda have an interest in seeing America continue with Bush administration foreign policy in Iraq and elsewhere, we get this confirmation via Spacktackerman:

Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.

The message, posted Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, "impetuous" Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."

This should come as no surprise, really.  The CIA concluded that bin Laden attempted to swing the election for Bush in 2004 with the release of a videotape in the last weeks of the campaign.  Despite McCain camp claims that Obama is soft on terrorists, and an appeaser who thinks that all terrorists need is "a good talking to," bin Laden and al-Qaeda fear an Obama administration more than a McCain administration.  As Matt Duss observed:

Bush’s war on terror has been a propaganda, recruiting, and training bonanza for Al Qaeda.

Given that the only difference between McCain’s and Bush’s approach to the war on terror is that McCain promises more of it and harder, it’s not really difficult to guess which of the candidates a new Al Qaeda intervention would be intended to help.

Let's just hope it doesn't come to that, regardless of the electoral implications.

Comments

[cleek]

given the way McCain has responded to every other crisis so far, i'm not so sure anybody would prefer his response to a terrorist attack.

maybe it's time Dems stopped playing along with the idea that Republicans are the natural winners of any debate about how to handle terror / military policy.

[Hartmut]

I have predicted for quite some time that there will be a Bin Laden video endorsing Obama. That would serve the same purpose and could be achieved much easier.

[Hartmut]

Not to forget that there will be a high-level terror warning on election day tailored to specific areas that are likely to be Dem majority.

[Elvis Elvisberg]

As Colin Powell noted on MTP, the GOP base and GOP advertising campaigns are a powerful recruiting tool for al Qaeda.

Rash ignorance from America helps al Qaeda. But they have no long-term program or, if we actually focus on attacking them where we know they are and cooperating with other intelligence agencies, really much of a chance to hurt us. Stupid, costly, unpopular conflicts are al Qaeda's best friend.

If George W. Bush were an al Qaeda mole, he wouldn't have changed much about what he did. He'd have ratcheted up the rhetoric against North Korea, instead of trying to defuse the situation, I guess. That is, he'd do what McCain wants.

[Turbulence]

If George W. Bush were an al Qaeda mole, he wouldn't have changed much about what he did.

True enough, but I think there's more evidence indicating that he's an Iranian mole, rather than an AQ mole. Either way, his loyalties are...problematic.

[Elvis Elvisberg]

Good point, Turbulence-- or to put it conservatively, evidence suggests that Bush was acting under the influence of neoconservative advisers who were unwitting agents of Iran.

[Andrew]

I was going to comment on this over at Balloon Juice, but saw that another commenter had already said what I intended, only better:

"We made Bin Laden, watched as he bankrupted the Soviet Union and then proceeded to fall into the same trap.

"I’m stupid and proud of it" needs to come to end. Stupid people are causing the decline of a once great nation and should not be catered to or celebrated anymore.

Lets face it…the terrorists won. They used our stupidity against us. No one could have foreseen of course….."

[SplendidMarbles]

It is a joke that McCain would make America safer. Look at what's happening in Afghanistan - it is basically back in the Taliban's hands. This is the poster-war symbolizing the failure of the neoncon doctrine of preemption. McCain would follow Bush's idiotic lead, propping up dictators with borrowed billions and waging mindlessly violent campaigns against the wrong nations.

[russell]

"I’m stupid and proud of it" needs to come to end

Amen and amen.

Thanks -

[mckinneytexas]

How many major Al Qaeda attacks up to and including 9-11? How many since? And AQ is stronger today than ever before? You folks need to check your meds. You are the left wing version of the Obama-is-the-Anti-Christ crowd on the right.

[Gary Farber]

"You folks need to check your meds. You are the...."

Which "folks"? Could you try addressing individuals, please?

You post here: your views are as much the views of "folks" here as anyone else's. Nobody here is in psychic contact with anyone else. Nobody here is generic. People's views are their own, not that of someone else here.