McCain Wins Online Jihadists' Endorsement, Sorta (Updated)

Back in April, the McCain campaign and its online allies pounced on the news that Hamas had briefly "endorsed" Barack Obama for President. So I guess it's no suprise that Obama's backers in blogosphere are jumping all over this *Washington Post *report, that members of an al-Qaeda-affiliated online forum, al-Hesbah, are pulling for John McCain.

"Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election," one poster wrote, because the Arizona Republican would continue in the "failing march of his predecessor," President Bush.

Another al-Hesbah members suggested now would be a good time to launch an attack on U.S. interests. "It will push the Americans deliberately to vote for
McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qaeda... Al-Qaeda then will succeed in exhausting
America."

In 2004, I think we all remember, Osama bin Laden famously released a threatening tape just four days before the election. John McCain said the video was "very helpful" to President Bush's campaign.

Of course, this time, it's not exactly Osama talking -- just some online jihadist wannabes. And not all of them are buying the "we heart McCain" line. "Whether the old man [John McCain] or the ascender [Barack Obama] wins the elections, it is not important," an al-Hesbah member declares.

We inform you that you will be treated according to your policies on the ground regarding Islam and the Muslims. You are now faced with a golden opportunity to withdraw from your sins and liberate yourselves from the slavery surrounding you. Leave us this country that is enslaving you and pushing your American people away, so that we may exact our revenge upon it [on the day] when trees speak and stones converse, God willing.

UPDATE: McCain advisors Randy Schuenemann and Jim Woolsey respond, calling the Post's article an "amazing piece of journalism, and I use 'journalism' in quotation marks." Then they talk about how all the world's boogiemen really support Obama-Biden. Not the most persuasive of pushbacks to not the most persuasive of stories.

[Photo: The Sun]

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