MEDIA MANIPULATED

Jason Burke writes in the Guardian:

Al-Zawahiri portrayed himself as a warrior and a statesman in the video broadcast yesterday. He did not need any props to demonstrate his extraordinary gift for media manipulation.

What the Hell is Burke on about? A hectoring, old, finger waggling fart with an assault rifle propped in the background against a backdrop of draped table-cloths, delivering the same old message isn't going to maipulate anyone other than true believers, both leftist and Islamist.