No not Muhammad, Tariq. He seems to agree with all you ultras out there. He says about the War on Al Queda,
"It was essentially a crude war of revenge designed largely to appease the U.S. public. In Canada in mid-November, I was debating Charles Krauthammer, and I said it was a war of revenge and he said, "Yeah, it was, so what?" The more hardline people, who are also more realistic, just accept this."
I disagree. It was a war to prevent more September 11ths which is why I supported it. The American people are isolationist and don't like casualties and will vote accordingly. Bush the First lost the Presidency after the Gulf War. And then in the Nineties you had Bush the First going into Somalia in essence so he wouldn't have to do anything about Bosnia and make look like the New World Order was somewhat humanitarian. When the fiasco happened (which is coming out in movie form: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/26/movies/26HAWK.html America turned away from foreign incursions. And the way the US gave up in Somalia and Haiti made it look like we wouldn't put up a fight, especially not with ground troops, something which emboldened ObL and Al Queda.
I think ObL didn't believe America would come after him with such ferocity. The Al-Jazeera network has a tape they said ObL made two weeks ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/26/international/26WIRE-LADE.html The whole tape won't be shown until Thursday. He said, "three months after the blessed attack against the international infidels and its leaders, the United States, and two months after the beginning of the vicious aggression against Islam."
I don't mind being an infidel. Some of you ultras apparently do. And I think it's obvious this wasn't a war on Islam, ObL's claims to the contrary. It was about what happened September 11th and everything else is a distraction or besides the point. And as much as I hate Dubya, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et. al. I think they did a good job of destroying Al Queda and the proof is in the pudding. There hasn't been a terrorist attack since the 9.11 (knock on wood).
Peter