Obama Not Useful as Al Qaeda Recruiting Tool

Nicholas Kristof posts an explanation for why Al Qaeda would endorse John McCain over Barack Obama:

The idea is that Al Qaeda would be hurt by the election of Obama, because he doesn’t fit Arab or Muslim images of white colonial oppressors, and thus isn’t so useful in recruiting suicide bombers. There’s generally a sense that an American leader with a more military instinct, inclined to firing cruise missiles, is the best recruiting tool.

And if the terrorists cannot use Barack Obama as a symbol to recruit more anti-American suicide bombers, that means fewer terrorist threats under Obama than under McCain.