Al-Qaida Speaks. Is Anyone Listening?

[gateley]

(Reposting this. Thanks to Contrary1 for posting it initially - but not very many seemed to see it. I think this is vitally important.)

NOTE: WTF???

Bush and Co. must be saving this one till late October, if they even know about it at all.

"What if the al-Qaida deputy spoke, and nobody listened? That's essentially what happened today when the propaganda division of the terrorist group released its latest video--complete with a major new speech by the al-Qaida deputy, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri--celebrating the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

Al-Qaida released the new 90-minute tape to the Al Jazeera television network, played select portions of it throughout the day. But the tape has received scant attention in the United States, especially compared to recent 9-11 anniversaries.

Terrorism analysts say that Americans--and American media outlets--are ignoring al-Qaida messages at their own peril. For many Americans, terrorism concerns are "falling off the radar, as al-Qaida has been silent in the USA (and much of the West) since 9-11," said Michael Sheehan, the former counter-terrorism official for the State Department and the City of New York. "Foreign attacks are mostly background noise. This is troublesome, for if we lose our focus they will attack us again at home," said Sheehan, who is now an NBC News terrorism analyst.

Robert Grenier, the former CIA counter-terrorism official and former CIA station chief in Islamabad, agreed. "We probably overreacted initially" to al-Qaida threats after the 9-11 attacks, Grenier said, "and we are under-reacting now." He said that while al-Qaida has suffered setbacks in recent years, it is resurgent along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and is still extremely dangerous. He said Zawahiri's messages should not be discounted. "This man, unlike Bin Laden, is still an active terrorist. What he has to say to the faithful" still matters, Grenier said..."

http://deepbackground.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/08/...

[Old and In the Way]

1. If they attack before the elections, there goes the talking point

about George Bush protecting us with no attacks since 9/11 (well, except for anthrax). But then you'd also have to wonder why AQ seems to take such an active interest in our elections. Of course, I'm sure they'll praise Barack Obama this time, like they did John Kerry. Republicans have certainly helped create the myth of AQ's power...I'm sure that it's in AQ's best interests to keep Republicans in the WH. A mutually beneficial relationship.