Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri Rebuts McCain: It’s ‘In The Interest’ Of Al Qaeda To See Iran Fail»

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/03/zawahiri-mccain/


Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri Rebuts McCain: It’s ‘In The Interest’ Of Al Qaeda To See Iran Fail»

Recently, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has repeatedly claimed that Iran and al Qaeda are working together to defeat the United States in Iraq. During a March 18 press conference, for example, McCain claimed that Iranian operatives were “taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back.”

Al Qaeda begs to differ. Danger Room’s Noah Shachtman finds that in a new online Q&A session, Ayman al-Zawahiri — the terrorist organization’s number two leader — clearly states al Qaeda wants Iran to fail in Iraq:

The dispute between America and Iran is a real dispute based on the struggle over areas of influence, and the possibility of America striking Iran is a real possibility. As for what might happen in the region, I can only say that major changes will occur in the region, and the situation will be in the interest of the Mujahideen if the war saps both of them. If, however, one of them emerges victorious, its influence will intensify and fierce battles will begin between it and the Mujahideen, except that the Jihadi awakening currently under way and the degeneration state of affairs of the invaders in Afghanistan and Iraq will make it impossible for Iran or America to become the sole decision-maker in the region.

McCain’s campaign may try to dismiss Zawahiri’s statement as the crazy ranting of a terrorist leader. In the past, however, the senator has embraced statements by al Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden to prove his own points. On March 24 (the day marking 4,000 U.S. troop deaths in Iraq), McCain said that he and Gen. David Petraeus agree with bin Laden on Iraq:

For the first time, I have seen Osama bin Laden and Gen. Petraeus in agreement, and that is, the central battleground in the battle against al-Qaeda is in Iraq today! That’s what bin Laden is saying, and that’s what Gen. Petraeus is saying, and that’s what I’m saying, my friends.

Watch it at link~

In a December interview, Zawahiri also said that Iran would receive no help from al Qaeda against a U.S. attack because Iran had “stabbed the Muslim Ummah in the back. It caused itself and the Shiites following it a historic disgrace. The signs of this stab will remain vivid in the Muslims’ memory for a very long time.”

[magellan]

1. A bit OT, but I'm sensing a tectonic shift here

In another thread, Zawahiri is alleged to have said that OBL is alive and well, and anyone who says otherwise is "prejudiced". In the US, the majority who believe OBL is dead are on the left.

Here he's saying OBL and Betrayus are in agreement about Iraq being the central battleground.

Used to be every word uttered by the AQ cretins was in direct opposition to the WH and associated by the RW with liberal belief. Suddenly the shoe's on the other foot.

Is the Right being intentionally painted as in line with AQ to influence upcoming elections, just as the Dems were previously? And who is really behind this?

[mmonk]

2. Al queda is no friend to Iran.

They are Sunni and OBL has called the Iranians "Shia dogs".

[magellan]

3. Yes, I know

But what about what I wrote?

[mmonk]

5. I don't speculate much about it.

Since everything in the information field in this country is suspect, I quit trying to figure everything out and have decided just to stick with facts when found.

[bushmeister0]

4. Remember when anything these guys said was classified?

You know, OBL & Co. might be sending secret signals for an imminent attack etc. but then the 2004 elctions came along and suddenly OBL thanking W. for reading about pet goats, which he claimed "gave us double the time for us to execute our attacks," was a pro-Kerry message.

I found this passage from a CNN story in Oct. of 2004:

"The U.S. embassy in Qatar received a copy of the Osama bin Laden tape from the Qatari government Friday, a senior State Department official told CNN. The Al-Jazeera network, which aired the tape, is based in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The official said that once the embassy received the video, the U.S. ambassador to Qatar asked the Qatari government to use its influence with the management of Al-Jazeera to convince the network not to air the tape.

'We are disappointed that the tape was aired,'" said this official.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/binladen.tape/index.html

But, not that much, the US media aired it.

Read this very interesting peice by Media Matters about the issue of OBL trying to get W. re-elected:

It reports:

"The CIA reportedly determined that bin Laden's intention was to assist in the re-election of President Bush.:

This a revelation in Ron Suskind's book, "The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11" in which "Suskind's reporting undermined claims by Bush administration officials -- including Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice -- that terrorists might take actions to ensure Kerry would defeat Bush, and declarations from conservative media figures that the 2004 bin Laden videotape in particular demonstrated that bin Laden preferred Kerry.

As Media Matters noted, Suskind's revelation raised an important question largely ignored by the media: What does it say about the White House's terrorism policies that bin Laden would want Bush re-elected?"

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610310011

Or is OBL on the karl Rove's payroll?