Epithet-ic

The characterization by Al Qaeda's No. 2 guy, Ayman al-Zawahri, of President-elect Barack Obama as a "house negro" on Wednesday was heavy with portent, some say.

"First and foremost, Al Qaeda is an organization that thrives on propaganda," writes Ilan Goldenberg, policy director of the National Security Network.

"But Al Qaeda's narrative is now under siege, and it's clearly uncertain about how to react. The election of the first African-American President, one with a Muslim father, flies in the face of this narrative. It shows America as an open and tolerant society -- not the oppressive empire Al Qaeda would like to portray. In fact, the overwhelmingly positive international reaction to Obama's election is proof of the threat Al Qaeda faces."

Philip Klein of the American Spectator has that, and more.

"It could mean that al-Zawahri is concerned that the election of a black president who speaks in [conciliatory] tones could make it more difficult for Al Qaeda to demonize the U.S. among followers and potential recruits, and thus weaken the group's standing in the Muslim world," he writes. "Alternatively, it shows that no matter who is the president, Al Qaeda will see the U.S. as the enemy and is intent on continuing its war against Americans."