So Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader (or maybe its no. 1, if rumors of Osama's demise have any credence) released a taped message today, redeclaring war on America and calling its new President-elect a 'house negro.'

In the 11-minute audiotape message, Ayman al-Zawahri also used the same term to refer to Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell, while the accompanying video shows Barack wearing a Jewish yamulke (skullcap) as he met with Jewish leaders. Al-Zawahri further warned that any attempt to send more troops to Afghanistan will be met with failure as the dogs of that country 'have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious.'

Lovely. Just lovely.

My fear of course is that this message was also a call to action. With America's economy teetering on the edge of collapse and with a lame duck administration running out the clock, it would be a smart tactical strategy on al Qaida's part to strike again if they are capable of doing so given that we are apparently at our most vulnerable.

But while a successful attack, god forbid, could prove to be devastating in the short-term and cause plenty of havoc, I remain as confident as ever that this country will find a way to persevere.

Excuse me for going all jingoistic here for a moment, but is there any better example of America's enduring character than what happened earlier this month ... that without one drop of blood shed, the people of this country decided to reject the imperious, divisive policies and politics of the past eight years, and elected a black man ... with Muslim ancestry ... named Barack Hussein Obama ... to the highest office of the land.

That one simple action - a democratic vote ushering in a new adminstration and guiding ideology -  provided a vivid display of the progressiveness and flexibility that has kept America strong and vibrant throughout its history. It's also something that the Islamic fundamentalists, with their tactics of hatred and terror, their racial epithets and talk of flesh-eating dogs, will never understand.