A Clear message

From AP-

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in a new audio tape Friday to be winning the war faster than expected in Iraq, saying it had mobilized 12,000 fighters. The leader meanwhiled vowed his fighters will never rest until they have blown up the White House.

The group also said it welcomed the Republican electoral defeat that led to the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also urged the U.S. to stay in Iraq so his group would have more opportunities to kill American troops.

"The al-Qaida army has 12,000 fighters in Iraq, and they have vowed to die for God's sake," a man introduced as al-Muhajir said in an audio tape made available on militant Web sites.

Al-Muhajir became the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike in June.

The tape could not be independently verified.

The speaker praised the outcome of Tuesday's elections in which Democrats swept to power in the House and the Senate, in large part due to U.S. voter dissatisfaction over the handling of the war in Iraq.

"The American people have put their feet on the right path by ... realizing their president's betrayal in supporting
Israel," the terror leader said. "So they voted for something reasonable in the last elections."

Describing
President Bush as "the most stupid president" in U.S. history, al-Masri reached out to the Muslim world and said his group was winning the war in Iraq faster than expected due to U.S. policies.

He urged Bush not to withdraw U.S. forces so al-Qaida could have more opportunities to fight U.S. soldiers. "We haven't had enough of your blood yet," he told the U.S.

The speaker also referred to Rumsfeld's resignation and called on "the lame duck (Bush) not to hurry up in escaping the same way the defense minister did."

"They are getting ready to leave, because they are no longer capable of staying," the al-Qaida leader said, referring to U.S. forces.

"Remain steadfast in the battlefield, you coward," he said, addressing Bush.

That should be a warning to all Americans of the threat we face today. This isn't about Democrats or Republicans, but national survival.

Will the public and politicians listen? History has taught us the answer is no. Our country has almost always learned only from our mistakes. The next 9-11 type disaster may kill many times what happened in 2001 and have economic effects world-wide. This country can't afford to lose its resolve to fight terrorism.

Hat tip- Jim at Bright & Early,
Linked to- Uncooperative Blogger, Right Wing Nation, Clash of Civilizations, Wake Up America,