Al-Qaeda’s Obama problem

In George Bush, al-Qaeda had a truly useful idiot. Bush is despised in the Muslim world (to say nothing of pretty much everywhere else) and as such gave al-Qaeda a potent recruiting tool and target for propaganda. And really, demonizing a smug half-wit with imperialist designs on the Middle East was easy, both from a strategic view as well as a practical one – big fish, small barrel. Now that President Obama is the face of America, it seems the propagandists in al-Qaeda are having a bit more trouble developing an effective anti-Obama meme.

The torrent of hateful words is part of what terrorism experts now believe is a deliberate, even desperate, propaganda campaign against a president who appears to have gotten under al-Qaeda's skin. The departure of George W. Bush deprived al-Qaeda of a polarizing American leader who reliably drove recruits and donations to the terrorist group.

With Obama, al-Qaeda faces an entirely new challenge, experts say: a U.S. president who campaigned to end the Iraq war and to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and who polls show is well liked throughout the Muslim world.

Whether the pro-Obama sentiment will last remains to be seen. On Friday, the new administration signaled that it intends to continue at least one of Bush's controversial counterterrorism policies: allowing CIA missile strikes on alleged terrorist hideouts in Pakistan's autonomous tribal region.

But for now, the change in Washington appears to have rattled al-Qaeda's leaders, some of whom are scrambling to convince the faithful that Obama and Bush are essentially the same.

"They're highly uncertain about what they're getting in this new adversary," said Paul Pillar, a former CIA counterterrorism official who lectures on national security at Georgetown University. "For al-Qaeda, as a matter of image and tone, George W. Bush had been a near-perfect foil."

Yet another reason to thank God that Bush is gone and Obama has arrived.

Progress

More of this please...

A wage-discrimination bill that narrowly failed less than a year ago moved closer to becoming law last night, when the Senate passed the legislation and sent it back to the House for final consideration.

The measure, approved 61 to 36, would overturn a Supreme Court decision to make it easier for women to sue employers for pay inequity, regardless of when the discrepancies took place. It may become the first legislation signed by President Obama, who campaigned in favor of it.

Joe is happy

Watching George W. "Asshat" Bush retreat from the Inaugeration in Marine One now. History will judge him harshly and his Administration will only be missed by comedy writers and wingnuts. Sayonara dickhead.

Happy Obama Day!

I am watching the live feed of the Mall from CNN and I have never seen so many people in all of my life.

And we are back…

So I basically had to take a forced hiatus from the blog due to a couple of factors though the largest has been work. They have been killing me. Seriously, I clocked 100 hours this past week, about 80 the week before and so forth. Lo, four months pregnant, has been a peach for putting up with it – God bless her. And J. has been pretty much awesome, though I wish he would nap more and eat some damn vegetables. Anyway, I think the clouds are parting somewhat (Fate – leave me the hell alone) and I should get back into a more regular swing of things just in time for Barack Obama to take office. Oh hell yeah. Tomorrow will be epic.

In that spirit, here is Michael Franti and Spearhead performing “Obama Song”. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, you are either dead or Republican.

Unmitigated Awesomeness

Barring some sort Florida 2000 level shenanigans, Al Franken will be the next Senator from Minnesota. That his election will give Falafel Bill O’Reilly six years of agita is just fucking sublime.