For those not keeping track, Ayman Al Zawahiri is the #1 al-Qaeda leader (now that Bin Laden is dead) and he is calling all Muslims to help the Syrian “Rebels”.   Yep, it appears the Obama administration is now supporting al-Qaeda….

(Reuters) — Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners, join Syria’s rebellion and ensure Egypt implements sharia, SITE Monitoring reported, citing a two-part film posted on Islamist websites.

“We are seeking, by the help of Allah, to capture others and to incite Muslims to capture the citizens of the countries that are fighting Muslims in order to release our captives,” he said, praising the kidnapping of Warren Weinstein, a 71-year-old American aid worker in Pakistan last year.  (read more)

This is the nonsense that drives wedges within the U.S. “engaged” electorate.   On this issue President Obama and Mitt Romney are sympatico, and both idiots.   Both Romney and Obama have called for arming the rebels.  Both Romney and Obama have called for supporting the Syrian rebels.   Both Romney and Obama have called for Assad (the Zookeeper) to step down.

About eighteen months ago, their position held some semblence of merit.   A little over a year ago the Syrian uprising contained a majority influce from “moderates” who opposed the Assad heavy handed dictatorship.   However, about eight months ago (spring/summer 2012) a flood of al-Qaeda fighters, radical Islamists, Salafists and dispatched operatives rushed into the opportunity; the vacuum created with Assad on the ropes.

The window of opportunity for reform in Syria was quickly lost.

Now, it must be clearly understood that Syria holds within its borders the most substantial arms depots in the middle east.   Many of those arms and chemical/biological weapons were delivered as safe storage to Syria by Sadam Hussein in the final throws of his rule in Iraq.

If al-Qaeda is capable of cutting the head from Syria and taking out Assad, they will have availed themselves of the most significant weaponry in the history of their association.

This will NOT end well.