Al Qaeda is Smarter Than You
Posted by Paul at December 29th, 2007
They killed democracy advocate Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and everyone there thinks it was President Musharraf. Perhaps he had a hand in it, but either way Al Qaeda gets the terror credentials they’re after; Musharraf just gets disdain.
Al Qaeda knew Bush would ignore 9/11 warnings, and knew he would invade and occupy Iraq because they understand what motivates him. They benefit as the U.S. teeters on recession and remains stuck in Iraq. They have growing influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and over the disaffected in Saudi Arabia. They may currently be on the run in Iraq but they know the power vacuum will come.
They’re more patient than they are reactionary. They aren’t short-sited. They aren’t poll-driven or inflexible. They don’t need to run for office. They hate you more than you want to look tough against them. Anyone killed isn’t murdered, they’re martyred. Al Qaeda are the essence of fundamentalism and we don’t really take them seriously. Instead we send long telegraphed armored divisions to places they abandon or never were in the first place.
Like Musharraf, Bush is their unwitting or culpable ally. He needs them as much as they need him. Or maybe we would have eavesdropped on citizens, suspended habeas corpus and tortured detainees (martyrs) anyway. China could bring the U.S. to its knees if they wanted to, but a loosely affiliated bunch of middle eastern fanatics already have.
Bhutto is their latest coup. In a November interview with David Frost she said Osama Bin Laden was already dead (something Bush might not want to get out). But that’s just another red herring. Because it doesn’t matter. They’re way ahead of you.
You can plan for hijackers or fighters on a battlefield. But while you’re in line to get strip searched at the airport they have something else in mind. They’ll take the easy route now and kill the vulnerable, but also plan for a long term, more complicated scenario. You won’t see either coming.
