What Terrorists Want!

Jay Bryant makes an interesting statement in his latest article, which is dedicated to a new theory the Bush campaign and their surrogates are floating; Iraqi Insurgents want Senator John Kerry to win. We'll return to that in a moment, but first this statement.

So if you were al-Qaida, what would you do?

You desperately want George Bush out of office. Anyone who doesn't believe that (and liberal apologists sometimes try to claim otherwise) belongs in a can labeled "Planters."

Anybody who believes that the terrorists prefer President Bush to John Kerry is clearly nuts. Hmmmmmm. If you will excuse me for a moment, I am going to make a quick visit to my psychologist Ludwig Von Ludovich.

Nope, Dr. Von Ludovich says I'm about as sane as normal (normal for me, anyway). So let's deal with this question.

Analyzing what Presidential candidate al-Qaida would prefer requires looking at what al-Qaida's long term goals are. Al-Qaida doesn't want to commit acts of terror just for the sake of committing acts of terror. OK, there are probably some who do, but the leadership have larger goals and a larger ideology in mind. Their biggest long term goal is to defeat and humiliate the West. They have other smaller goals; like changing our policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.

A second point; they think they will win. God is on their side. Even now, with displays of American Military might in Iraq and Afghanistan, they think that our culture is weak and that they can defeat us. They are fighting a transformative war; one that will transform their culture to more closely approximate what they believe an Islamic society is supposed to be.

For a parallel look at American Neo-Conservatives. They wanted a war too. A transformative war that would show the Middle East how to be Democratic and America Loving. So would they have really been enthused by, say, Saddam Hussein stepping down and naming one of his ministers president in his place? Probably not. Certainly you can't imagine them saying, "Oh boy, with Saddam gone, this war will certainly be easier." The idea is laughable; while I am sure they are concerned about the health and welfare of American troops, they are also extremely confident in our Soldier's ability to defeat nearly any enemy.

Why are terrorists supposed to favor John Kerry over President Bush? Because John Kerry, according to Republicans, is a cowardly two-faced liar who will immediately begin surrendering in the war on terror.

Why would that be a positive thing for Terrorists? Instead of winning the terror war, they would get a forfeit, at best. Not the victory that could transform the middle east and possibly the world into their version of utopia.

Anyway, on to a new Republican Talking Point. The Iraqi insurgents are killing American troops because they want John Kerry to be the next President of the United States. Apparently this has popped up in a number of places, including Jay Bryants article. Atrios has a piece on the Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who has made this point. Michael Barone uses it as a sideline in his article.

Before a grudgingly polite National Guard Association, Kerry argued that the Bush administration's record in Iraq is one of mistakes and failures. He can point to increasing violence and casualties. But Bush can respond that the terrorists are just trying to affect our elections and shake our resolve -- he will have a forum this week when Iraqi interim president Ayad Allawi visits Washington.

And Jay Bryant dedicates his whole article to a theory which is not, he is quick to deny, a conspiracy theory. It runs like this in short form.

The National Intelligence Committee, Al-Qaida, and John Kerry all want President Bush to lose in November. The National Intelligence Committee agrees to publish a very negative report on Iraq at just the right time. The Terrorists, conferring with their allies in the states, realize that an attack on US soil will help Bush. They realize, however, that attacking in Iraq will hurt President Bush by making his war look like a failure. So naturally they use a go-between to let Senator Kerry know that it's time to focus on Iraq, while stepping up their own campaign there.

To use Bryant's own words.

If Kerry finally stops flip-flopping on Iraq and sticks to the rhetoric of his National Guard speech, it will be prima facie evidence of his confidence that the Iraqi security situation will not improve before November, though he may not himself know why. If he should happen to win, his strategy, and that of America's worst enemies, will have succeeded.

I mean it was inevitable that the Bush Campaign and their surrogates were going to paint Senator Kerry as the al-Qaida candidate, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But it is still depressing to know where this campaign is.

For those of you who feel this is a valid talking point, let's turn it around. How about if I wrote a piece along these lines.

Anybody who thinks that Al-Qaida wants President Bush to be defeated in November is clearly deluded. The terrorists have had so much more success with this Republican President than they have ever had in the past, that I can't believe they would want a change. First of all, they had their single deadliest attack on American Soil ever, killing nearly 3,000 people. That didn't happen under Clinton. It happened under good old George W. Bush. So it's clear. If you want more terrorism, vote for President Bush. If you want to be protected from terrorism, vote for Senator Kerry.

I can tell how typing that made me feel. Part of me was happy, but it was a small mean-spirited part of me. But if you are going to support this talking point, or Vice President Cheney's words a couple of weeks ago, you have to concede that this argument is at least as valid.