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What Hillary Clinton and ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Have in Common

Is aspiring caliph out of touch with mainstream terrorists? (AP)
July 7, 2014

ISIS frontman Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s much-anticipated public rollout has been plagued by some of the same problems that Hillary Clinton has experienced on her mediocre book tour.

The Telegraph reports that al-Baghdadi—a.k.a. "Caliph Ibrahim"—whose Islamist terrorist group recently seized up to $400 million from an Iraqi bank as part of its effort to establish a global caliphate, is under fire for sporting a flashy wristwatch in a video released last week:

Appearing in black robes and a turban in an attempt to evoke memories of the last Caliphs to rule from Baghdad, the jihadist broke with the tradition to sport an ill-fitting chrome watch with a dark face.

His choice of accessory, which is believed to be either a Rolex, Sekonda or £3,500 Omega seamaster, has been highlighted as jarring with the content of his controversial speech.

Fancy watch has raised questions about whether al-Baghdadi is out of touch with mainstream terrorists. (AP)
Critics have slammed the blinged-out leader as "tone deaf." (AP)

Like Clinton, Caliph Ibrahim has sought to connect with commoners, but has encountered some difficulty.

"It is a burden to accept this responsibility to be in charge of you," the terrorist leader says in the video. "I am not better than you or more virtuous than you. If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God."

This rhetoric, however, is undermined by al-Baghdadi’s conspicuous bling and is likely to fuel political opponents seeking to portray the aspiring caliph as "tone-deaf." Such blatant materialism is typically frowned upon by average, hardworking terrorists who are just trying to make ends meet.

In similar fashion, Clinton has had a hard time deflecting criticism regarding her massive wealth. For example, she has bemoaned the fact that she and her husband "struggled" to finance the purchase of two mansions after leaving the White House, and recently suggested that she is not "truly well off." Clinton has also described getting paid $200,000 to talk to a room full of Goldman Sachs executives for an hour as "hard work."

One advantage al-Baghdadi might possess over Clinton is his age (est. 42-43). Hillary, on the other hand, would be 69 if elected in 2016. According to a Free Beacon analysis, most famous leaders over the course of history have been much younger.