As if they hadn’t already declared war “” and not only on 9/11. Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States several times during the 1990s.
And in any case, they would have portrayed either outcome as a victory: a Bush victory as a continuation of the jihad, and a Kerry victory as heralding the dhimmification of the United States. From the National Post, :
Radical jihadists are portraying the re-election of George W. Bush as a “declaration of war” by Americans, raising concerns that al-Qaeda and its followers may respond with further acts of terrorism.
According to postings on Internet message boards monitored by intelligence agencies, Islamic extremists are interpreting the election results as a licence to continue attacks against the United States and its allies.
“The American people have declared war, Allah is the greatest,” said an Arabic-language posting by Abdessamad. “The American people approve and endorse this pig’s actions.
“Thank Allah as we will not find someone more stupid than him. Sons of Islam! This is a call to jihad. Listen and answer the call: Go to the jihad!”
The messages, posted the day after the election and translated by the SITE Institute, a U.S. research group that monitors jihadist Web sites, varied in their reactions to Mr. Bush’s victory but all agreed that terrorist violence would continue.
“Thanks to God!” declared Abu Maarek Al-Sunni. “He wanted that the idiot Bush continue his policy … Without Bush, there will be no chance for the deployment of the American army in Somalia. This is what the mujahedin want.”
An e-mail posted by “Commander” said it did not matter whether “this dog or that miserable one” won the U.S. presidency. “It is the same difference, as they are all blasphemers, and our jihad will continue against one or the other.”
Another posting, by Abdul Fattah Ismael, said simply: “Allah! Destroy them!”