Finally, an Al-Qaeda official weighs in on the U.S. presidential election (disregard this seemingly bogus endorsement released by an Al-Qaeda linked site last week). Top al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi didn't directly endorse any candidate, but it's clear who he doesn't want to win. From Reuters:
An al Qaeda leader has called for President George W. Bush and the Republicans to be "humiliated," without endorsing any party in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to a video posted on the Internet.
"O God, humiliate Bush and his party, O Lord of the Worlds, degrade and defy him," Abu Yahya al-Libi said at the end of sermon marking the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, in a video posted on the Internet.
Libi, one of the top al Qaeda commanders believed to be living in Afghanistan or Pakistan, called for God's wrath to be brought against Bush equating him with past tyrants in history.
The remarks were the first comments from a leading al Qaeda figure referring, albeit indirectly, to the U.S. elections. Muslim clerics often end sermons by calling on God to guide and support Muslims and help defeat their enemies.
I don't see this having an impact on this election, unlike Bin Laden's October surprise in 2004.