1/3/10: Obama Closes Embassy, Hands PR Victory to Al Qaeda

And he's STILL on vacation

Photo: HawaiiforObama.org (Photo not from current vacation)

The Obama administration has closed the US Embassy in Yemen and handed a major PR victory to Al Qaeda.

A statement on the U.S. Embassy website in Yemen said the closing was "in response to ongoing threats by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen." The embassy notice also warned U.S. citizens in Yemen "of the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world."

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While no details were given, White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said on CNN's State of the Union that there are "indications that al Qaeda is planning to carry out an attack against a target inside of Sana'a (the capitol), possibly our embassy."

Source: Politics Daily

It may be a good idea to shut down an embassy in Yemen - a country that is generally considered little more than a haven for terrorism. However, blaming the embassy closing on fears of a terrorist attack will read as a defeat for the US, at least in Yemen and in Islamist terrorist circles.

Making it worse, the US not only cited TERRORIST threats, but they specifically cited AL QAEDA threats. For an administration that goes through pains to avoid phrases like "war on terror" and "Islamic terrorism," they sure are quick to hand a major PR victory to a specific terrorist network.

Keep in mind that the Obama administration has been hinting at some sort of action in Yemen - following three Yemeni-backed terrorist attacks on US soil in the past year. If we eventually do send in special ops forces or back a local Yemeni terrorism task force, those forces will be going up against a network of terrorists that have been emboldened by a major victory over the US.