“Those who want a premature U.S. withdrawal from Iraq 
    will now have to explain why that won't play into the 
    hands -- and plans -- of the enemy. Al-Zawahiri makes it 
    quite clear that al-Qaeda's ambitions extend well beyond 
    the borders of any one country. The goal is a 
    fundamentalist Islamic regime that begins in Iraq, 
    extends into the neighboring secular nations of the 
    region, assaults Israel and moves on from there… 

    al-Zawahiri hardly sounds like a commander on the brink 
    of victory. He is clearly worried that the jihadists are 
    losing in Iraq…

    Al-Zawahiri's also not feeling too peachy about his 
    personal situation. He recounts the death of his
    ‘favorite’ wife and a daughter after the collapse of 
    their house during an apparent American bombing. He 
    admits to a ‘real danger’ from the Pakistani army, which 
    is pursuing al-Qaeda in tribal areas. He mourns the 
    capture of al-Qaeda big shots, and oh by the way, he asks 
    al-Zarqawi to send him $100,000. The long al-Zawahiri 
    letter is a rough roadmap of the strategic vision for al- 
    Qaeda's intentions in Iraq and the global jihad. If it 
    has a familiar ring, that's because George Bush has been 
    warning the world about it for several years.”