Dead Man Talking!

Qasim al-Raymi, who was once briefly, happily, but mistakenly described as "the late Qasim al-Raymi", is once again threatening America.

"Today, you have attacked us in the middle of our household, so wait for what will befall you in the middle of yours ... We will blow up the earth from beneath your feet," Qasim al-Raymi, the wing's military commander, said in an article posted earlier this month on a website used by Islamist militants.

As Greg Johnsen has pointed out, AQAP has a long history of making threats when the feel they are ready to back them up, and are able to make reality match their rhetoric.  I have a feeling that this isn't the case here, as they have been harassed for the last month-plus.  This might be a case of wanting to stay relevant.

But that clearly should not be a call for relief- as we've noted, this is a group that is patient and stays away from reckless showmanship and empty bluster.  I don't think they are going to be able to blow up the earth from beneath our feet.  But one saw the hysteria and partisan wrangling that met the last, failed attack.  A successful one, even if limited in scope, will drive us further down a scary road.  It is wishful thinking to imagine they aren't aware of the reactions they are able to provoke.