Former CIA Dir Woosley: al-Qaeda McCain supporter "wants to damage him, not speaking from his heart"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

The McCain campaign blasted back against a story in today's Washington Post reporting that an al-Qaeda official in a "commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah," had called for the support of the Arizona Republican.

In doing so, foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann attacked everything from the paper ("I use journalism in quotations marks when referring to this story"), to the controversial figures who have said nice things about Barack Obama, to a conference call questioner who asked him to reevaluate the history of the Iraq War.

The most interesting line, however, came from former CIA Director Jim Woosley, who sought to frame the al-Qaeda blog posting as some sort of attempt at reverse political psychology

"If one takes one individual Islamist blogger from one terrorist Islamist blog who has come up with this statement that it would be good to have McCain in the White House, I think one has to consider the motives," he said. "This individual knows that the endorsement of people like him is a kiss of death, figuratively and literally. So it seems to be that it is pretty clear by making this statement it would be a good thing for McCain to be president. He wants to damage McCain. He's not speaking from his heart."

How Woosley interpreted the musings of an al Qaeda blogger to be a foray into electoral strategy remains unclear. So is the idea that this endorsement shouldn't be considered honest but the "endorsement" of Obama by members of Hammas or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which Scheunemann evoked repeatedly, somehow should be regarded as sincere.

But it is important to recall that in the 2004 election, Republican officials were quick to interpret a late-in-the-election tape from Osama bin Laden as a surefire endorsement of John Kerry's candidacy. Even Kerry himself said the issue cost him the election.

Now, it appears, the standards are different, with al-Qaeda well-versed in electoral trickery and eagerly pushing a candidate that they think would, in the end, most harm its cause.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/22/mccain-surrogate-al-qaeda_n_136869.html

[CJCRANE]

1. I don't think religious fundamentalists are that sophisticated.

I'd take the statement at face value.

And Bin Laden never endorsed Kerry - that was spin - anyone who's read the full transcript knows that Bin Laden thanked Bush for making al-Qaeda stronger.

[tularetom]

2. This is the funniest thing evah

They don't know whether to shit or go blind. I have no doubt that alQaeda would prefer that McGrumpy got elected, because he would continue the infantile bush tactics that have benefitted them so much over the past seven years. But I am rather surprised that they would say so publicly, so maybe this is just one blogger's opinion. But it's obvious the endorsement was "from his heart".

It's fun to watch them scatter from this endorsement like cockroaches.

[debatepro]

3. If/Then: If a Al-Queda really wants Obama to win Then Iraq is not...

the central front of the war on terror. You don't get it both ways. Either way John McCain loses this debate. I posted this here: It is a contradiction... you say it is reverse psychology in one without it being reverse psychology in the other.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7559374

[ErinBerin84]

4. right, Woosley

Just like how Iraq was involved in 9/11.....

[The Magistrate]

5. The Whole Strategy Of Al Queda, Sir, Is To Bait The U.S. Into Over-Reaction

McCain is their dream U.S. commander in chief: an impetuous, shoot-from-the-hip, heedless, double-down gambler with no horizon of judgement further than the next toss of the dice, a man who is readily rattled and prone to lashing out wildly when unsettled....

Woosley is a partisan idiot.