Zawahiri, Blue Man version

Trying to keep his name alive, the Egyptian doctor makes a public appearance on video, in which he preaches about the war in Iraq, Bush’s lies, and the pope’s insults to Islam:

As-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s multimedia production arm, issued today, Friday, September 29, 2006, a 17:51 minute video speech featuring Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and titled: “Bush, the Pope of the Vatican, Darfur, and the Crusader Wars”. He appears in two scenes: one, subtitled in English, with an office-setup background with a lamp, flag bearing “No God, but Allah”, and a cannon; the other is without a background, and depicts Zawahiri dressed entirely in white, without subtitles.

To U.S. President George W. Bush, Zawahiri brands him a “deceitful charlation” and liar, and questions: “why don’t you tell them how many million citizens of America and it’s allies you intend to kill in search of the imaginary victory and in breathless pursuit of the mirage towards which you are driving your people’s sons in order to increase your profits?” He questions his motives for initating the War in Iraq, ridiculing the false prexets under which it was conducted. To this end he cites the purported links of Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda, and the presence of weapons of mass destruction.

I wonder: don’t the Democrats get nervous when they hear Zawahiri mimicking their talking points?

On a side note, I find it fascinating that al Qaeda has a “multimedia production arm,” As-Sahab, which even advertises its productions ahead of time, as noted by Stratfor in early September:

Arab satellite news network Al Jazeera and an Islamist Web site aired previously unseen footage Sept. 7 of Osama bin Laden and other high-ranking al Qaeda leaders apparently planning the 9/11 attacks. The video, like most other recent ones of al Qaeda leaders, was produced by the jihadist network’s As-Sahab media branch, the fairly new organization behind the network’s latest media blitz. In fact, banner ads appearing on extremist Web sites claim the video is a trailer for an upcoming As-Sahab documentary on the 9/11 attacks. [emphasis added]

As-Sahab began advertising this new tape a couple of days ago, too.

The original Al Qaeda (bin Laden and Zawahiri) is now reduced to competing for our attention with Anna Nicole Smith, the torture bill, torture victims in Iraq, Torture by Bill [Clinton], a depraved sex-murder maniac in Colorado, and George Allen’s racist slurs.