Zawahiri to Zarqawi: "US will abandon Iraq"

In an explosive development in the War on Terror, a letter was obtained that has been confirmed to be from Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri, to the leader of "al-Qaieda in Iraq," Abu Musab al Zarqawi. (No further information on how this letter was intercepted).

This letter, written just after the London bombings in July of this year, reveals many grave challenges to the insurgent efforts in Iraq and those of al-Qaieda at large. And while the 13-page document is nothing less than a testament to the coalition's surprisingly effective decimation of al-Qaida, their leadership and financial structure, it is something far more important: Specifically referencing Vietnam, Zawahiri writes that he anticipates an American abandonment of Iraq.

After stating that he believes "the Americans will exit soon, God willing," he goes on to discuss the methods by which they can appease the Iraqi populace through an Islamic Shura council and by dictating what is allowed, and what is not allowed.

"Things might develop faster than we imagine. The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam - and how they ran and left their agents - is noteworthy. Because of that, we must be ready starting now..."

While this is in stark contrast to the administration's oft-repeated commitment to "stay the course," Zawahiri has strong allies in a majority of the U.S. Democratic Party, and nearly all of its congressional liberals. In fact, he is unwittingly in league with nearly half of Americans who now believe that we should withdraw from Iraq!

As with Vietnam, celebrity pacifists and opportunistic leftist politicians (while pining for the nationally disastrous "kumbayah" days of the 60's and early 70's), are wearing us down, clouding our judgment and our instincts for survival - while at every opportunity casting doubt on our elected President and his efforts to shore up a nation gone soft throughout the last decade.

Taken from commentary from CENTCOM on 11 October:

"How al-Qaida views the developments in Iraq – and elsewhere – as turning against them: Zawahiri clearly is worried they are losing public support in Iraq, and is attuned to the role of the media in the battle for such support. Zawahiri emphasizes that the struggle is ideological, with each side competing for the popular support and loyalty of the Muslim world. Zarqawi’s methods are backfiring by alienating the Iraqi people with attacks against the Shia."

The enemy is desperately fighting against a Free Iraq, and is counting on us to repeat history in this, the war of our time. But in order to defeat terrorism, we are faced with a battle not only of ideology and self-preservation - but a battle of wills, where we have to defeat the ultimate enemy - ourselves.