The "October surprise" never came, but today al Qaeda released a November reminder. In a new video, Ayman al-Zawahiri condemns the president-elect's support for Israel and the war in Afghanistan. Zawahiri also crudely insults Obama as a traitor to his race and his Muslim background:

Al-Zawahiri can be heard saying, "In you and in Colin Powell, [Condoleezza] Rice and your likes, the words of Malcolm X (may Allah have mercy on him) concerning 'house Negroes' are confirmed." [...]

"You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America.

"And so you promised to back Israel, and you threatened to strike the tribal regions in Pakistan, and to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, in order for the crimes of the American crusade in it to continue."

Zawahiri also had some policy advice for Obama on Afghanistan:

"If you still want to be stubborn about America's failure in Afghanistan, then remember the fate of Bush and Pervez Musharraf, and the fate of the Soviets and British before them," the message said. "And be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them."

I still find it interesting that Zawahiri or Osama bin Laden didn't make any statement before the election, like they did in 2004. It may be that they didn't have a strong preference in the choice between the old hawk and the apostate Muslim. Or perhaps they were refreshing RealClearPolitics as often as the rest of us and saw that the race wasn't really close enough for them to make a difference.