ABCnews: President Obama, White House: Al Qaeda Is Racist

[alexey]

Reading the entire article, it seems like Obama's words would have stood on better ground without his White House providing the coordinated "racist" pencil-sharpening.

Funny thing is, news organizations don't seem to report who actually called them a racist organization. ABC calls him a "senior administration official", other places say "unnamed official" or just "aide".

BBC writes that "administration official went further" and said that "al-Qaeda is a racist organisation"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10635806

and the "right pundit" cuts to the chase by writing: "In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Obama says Al Qaeda is racist"

http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=6677

unnamed aide is getting a spanking, right wing is getting stuff to talk about, and the world goes round and round....

[hkHog]

This is absurd. I guarantee you that at least some of the people who carried out the bombings in Uganda were black Africans. Al Qaeda is NOT racist, it is made up of members of many races; arabic, pakistani, south east asain, black, and caucasian. They are MUCH worse than simply being racist. They indiscriminately murder people of all races, they do not care. Unbelievable ignorance on Obama's part, this just goes to further prove that he views everything through the prism of racism. I expected no less of him but he is really showing amazing stupidity and ignorance with this statement.

EDIT: Here are the people who are claiming responsibility for the bombing:

OMG, ****ING RACISTS!!!!!!!

Clearly the ONLY reason they had to plan this bombing was racism. :doh:

[alexey]

I expected no less of him but he is really showing amazing stupidity and ignorance with this statement.

If you know who he is, please let me know. I searched through several news articles but could not find the name of the aide who actually called AQ a racist organization.

In case you didn't get a chance to read a post immediately prior to the one you made:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10635806

In an interview on South African television, Mr Obama said: "What you've seen in some of the statements that have been made by these terrorist organisations is that they do not regard African life as valuable in and of itself.

"They see it as a potential place where you can carry out ideological battles that kill innocents, without regard to long-term consequences, for their short-term tactical gains."

An administration official went further, saying that the Ugandan attacks show that "al-Qaeda is a racist organisation that treats black Africans like cannon fodder and does not value human life".

[Hubbs]

Jesus, who cares?

Obama slapped a label on an organization that wants to kill us. What the hell is there to argue about? No, seriously - what the hell is there to argue about?

There are plenty of other threads to turn into partisan shouting matches.

[alexey]

Jesus, who cares?

Obama slapped a label on an organization that wants to kill us. What the hell is there to argue about? No, seriously - what the hell is there to argue about?

His (well, it was actually an unnamed aide) label selection shows just how out of touch he is with the stuff that's very important. This is serious business.

[hkHog]

If you know who he is, please let me know. I searched through several news articles but could not find the name of the aide who actually called AQ a racist organization.

In case you didn't get a chance to read a post immediately prior to the one you made:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10635806

I read that. Why does it matter which aide said what? It was an Obama aide CLARIFYING his statement. Are you implying that his aides are free to just give their personal opinions without any oversight or communication?

[hkHog]

Jesus, who cares?

Obama slapped a label on an organization that wants to kill us. What the hell is there to argue about? No, seriously - what the hell is there to argue about?

There are plenty of other threads to turn into partisan shouting matches.

Because the fact that Al Quaeda is racist is the least reason that we should have to wipe them out (also it isn't even true in this case). Why won't this administration even refer to them as what they really are - Muslim extremists of all races who wish to indiscriminately murder anyone who does not agree with them.

What do little things like FACTS or REALITY have to do with anything!? Surely, you can effectively run the most powerful country in the world while constantly ignoring annoying little things like FACTS and REALITY!!! :doh:

[alexey]

I read that. Why does it matter which aide said what? It was an Obama aide CLARIFYING his statement. Are you implying that his aides are free to just give their personal opinions without any oversight or communication?

I'm sure you are well aware of differences between a President saying something, an official White House statement, and an unnamed aide quoted from an unspecified source.

[alexey]

Sounds like he was talkinga bout AQ needing to institute some Affirmative Action

"Al Qaeda recruits have said that al Qaeda is racist against black members from West Africa because they are only used in lower level operations."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/07/president-obama-white-house-al-qaeda-is-racist.html

[hkHog]

I'm sure you are well aware of differences between a President saying something, an official White House statement, and an unnamed aide quoted from an unspecified source.

In the article it says "White House aideS". That means it has to be something that the administration as a whole has concluded and find it important to disseminate this information. Sure, Obama himself did not say it on the record but that does not mean that he does not agree with it. Certainly, Al Qaeda is racist seems to be the official statement that his administration is trying to push.

[alexey]

In the article it says "White House aideS". That means it has to be something that the administration as a whole has concluded and find it important to disseminate this information. Sure, Obama himself did not say it on the record but that does not mean that he does not agree with it. Certainly, Al Qaeda is racist seems to be the official statement that his administration is trying to push.

Obama said:

• they do not regard African life as valuable
  
• they have no regard for innocents or long-term consequences
  
• their vision of Africa is of destruction and death
  

Aide said:

• U.S. intelligence has indicated that al Qaeda leadership specifically targets and recruits black Africans to become suicide bombers
  
• AQ believes that poor economic and social conditions make them more susceptible to recruitment than Arabs
  
• Al Qaeda recruits have said that al Qaeda is racist against black members from West Africa because they are only used in lower level operations
  
• In short, al Qaeda is a racist organization that treats black Africans like cannon fodder
  

I hope that it's a little bit clearer now who said what, what they were talking about at the time, and how this stuff has been distorted to fool people like hkHog. Don't jump to conclusions, do your research, and maybe you won't be fooled like this again next time.

[mjah]

In the article it says "White House aideS". That means it has to be something that the administration as a whole has concluded and find it important to disseminate this information. Sure, Obama himself did not say it on the record but that does not mean that he does not agree with it. Certainly, Al Qaeda is racist seems to be the official statement that his administration is trying to push.

The "he hasn't specifically denied it so he must agree with it" tack? Please, no. He may agree with it wholeheartedly. He may hang his anti-al-Qaeda strategy upon it. Then again, reading Obama's words which suggest something larger than racism, he may think reducing the whole thing to the word "racism" is an incredibly stupid thing for a staffer to do. He may be personally overseeing the staffer's strappado himself. Who knows. Certainly it would be nice to know who the staffer is -- and whether he added the "in short" coda on his own, or because Obama personally directed him to.

On a related note, it seems really odd to me that a senior White House staffer contributed entire paragraphs of text to a national news article without even having to give a name. Doesn't that seem kind of odd, given that Obama's take and the staffer's take don't actually match? That's one dose apiece of pure, uncut Tailgate Stupid from the news divisions of Fox News and ABC this week. I bet there would be dozens more to be found in one week's work, given the time and inclination.

This would seem like a George W. Bush "crusade" moment to me... had Obama said it.

[Ax]

The more tragic occurrence, was the administrations intentional failure to let the world know the more devastating facts about al Qaeda.

Namely, that they picked a name for themselves which everyone pronounces or spells differently.

And, they have cooties. And not the little sissy-fied childhood made-up kind either. We're talking WMD type, industrial strength cooties.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

I read that. Why does it matter which aide said what? It was an Obama aide CLARIFYING his statement. Are you implying that his aides are free to just give their personal opinions without any oversight or communication?

Oh ****, Obama has AIDS now?! How is he going to run the country with AIDS?

[mjah]

Oh ****, Obama has AIDS now?! How is he going to run the country with AIDS?

Not just Obama. THE WHOLE WHITE HOUSE IS CRAWLING WITH AIDeS.

[NavyDave]

This is absurd. I guarantee you that at least some of the people who carried out the bombings in Uganda were black Africans. Al Qaeda is NOT racist, it is made up of members of many races; arabic, pakistani, south east asain, black, and caucasian.

So Al Qaeda must have a Human Resources department to make sure all suicide bombers feel that they are treated equally like the pawns of other races, because racism is bad for longevity / retention of suicide bombers

[thebluefood]

Not just Obama. THE WHOLE WHITE HOUSE IS CRAWLING WITH AIDeS.

Not...TEH AIDS!!

[Bang]

What a bunch of ninnyboy whining.

Seriously. Last I checked we still had armed forces out to kill those ****ers wholesale regardless of whichever label is placed on them.

Piss and moan and moan and piss

Do you guys really not recognize wartime propaganda? In AFRICA he says they hate black people. It's one of the few things the majority of Africans have in common. Does this really require that many brains to understand?

Honestly, I'd shudder to think if Eisenhower could have ever done his job today.

~Bang

[sacase]

[*]U.S. intelligence has indicated that al Qaeda leadership specifically targets and recruits black Africans to become suicide bombers

This is just flat out wrong. AQ's biggest presence is in Somalia and traditionally Somali's have not been suicide bombers. Infact, it is a rather new developement that Somali's have started. I belive the first happended just 2 or 3 years ago. Arabs are FAR more likely to be suicide bombers that Africans.

[*]AQ believes that poor economic and social conditions make them more susceptible to recruitment than Arabs

Once again, wrong. Poor PEOPLE in general are more suceptable to recuitment.

[*]Al Qaeda recruits have said that al Qaeda is racist against black members from West Africa because they are only used in lower level operations

West Africa is not a AQ stronghold. West African recruits have not been used in major operations AQ does not have a precense there. The biggest presence in that area would be AQIM and they are really in north Africa, plus they are pretty much a KNR group now.

One of the most sucessful AQ operatives is Harun Fazul aka Fazul abdullah Mohammed. He is from Comoros. EAAQ were the ones behind the Embassy bombings which rank right behind the WTC bombings.

[*]In short, al Qaeda is a racist organization that treats black Africans like cannon fodder

WRONG. Some of the most successful operations have been conducts by AFRICAN operatives. Fact of the matter is, AQ is a results based organization. You actually have to do something to move up in the group. Historically, west Africans have not made up a significant portion of AQ

[Ax]

What a bunch of ninnyboy whining.

Seriously. Last I checked we still had armed forces out to kill those ****ers wholesale regardless of whichever label is placed on them.

Exactly.

The only thing that matters is how many we make dead.

[Thiebear]

What a bunch of ninnyboy whining.

Seriously. Last I checked we still had armed forces out to kill those ****ers wholesale regardless of whichever label is placed on them.

Piss and moan and moan and piss

Do you guys really not recognize wartime propaganda? In AFRICA he says they hate black people. It's one of the few things the majority of Africans have in common. Does this really require that many brains to understand?

Honestly, I'd shudder to think if Eisenhower could have ever done his job today.

~Bang

I'm not on your lawn there is no reason to get so touchy. I'm sure nobody is really worried about Alqaeda's feelings.

The point of me starting this thread was to point out the Administration is using Racism every other month at this point.

We went from not mentioning Alqaeda and 'radical islam' to saying Alqaeda hates black people? (we couldn't even get holder to admit the obvious before Congress). The Patraeus doctrine seems to be in effect. (A General doing his job today?) like Eisenhower?

Which like you say in Africa can be used to stir up feelings... Though i believe the truth about Alqaeda attacking their own/poor citizens has worked far better but hey why not add that in. Attacking Soccer because Alqaeda hates soccer would probably stir up flipped over cars and burnings.

(the Sacase information is good to know also)