I may not have been happy with Obama's silence on Gaza (which he has now broken) but when al-Zawahiri speaks...

... he's still an asshole.

First things first--credit where credit is due: President-elect Barack Obama has broken his silence on Gaza, just slightly--apparently in the wake of the slaughter at the UN school. He's expressed his "concern" for Palestinian loss of life and promised much more to say after January 20.

Here's the most extended quote I can find (ironically from Al Jazeera):

"After January 20 I'm going to have plenty to say about the issue, and I am not backing away at all from what I said during the campaign, that starting at the beginning of our administration, we are going to be engaged effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflict in the Middle East."

I still believe he should have spoken earlier--but he has spoken, and for that I both thank and applaud him.

[Although I still retain the fundamental difference of preferring a non-interventionist, non-imperial foreign policy. That doesn't equate, however, with silence.]

Unfortunately, that delay has allowed that (again, the technical term) asshole Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's Number Two, to attempt to smear Obama with responsibility for Gaza:

Then, al-Zawahiri diverted his attention to Mr. Obama, reminding Muslims around the world that they shouldn’t be fooled by the President-elect.

“Here is Obama, the man that the American propaganda machine tried to portray as the savior who would alter America’s policies. Here he is, killing your brothers and sisters in Gaza, with no mercy nor compassion.”

Let's be perfectly clear here: regardless of your position on Israel v Hamas, nobody in this country should give this asshole any traction for these remarks.