A Candid Review of Al Qaeda Realities

America is facing a relentless assault from radical Islamic organizations and regimes.  These people are highly intelligent, very determined, viciously ruthless and endlessly patient.  They are also very astute observers of the weaknesses in the American political and economic systems.

They are dedicated to the destruction of the USA and the establishment of an extremist Islamic caliphate that would dominate the world by controlling most of the world's oil reserves in the Middle East.  Their whole plan for victory over America is rooted in the belief that: 

1. They have more resolve than apathetic American voters.
2. They grasp America's vulnerabilities better than we do.
3. Their leaders are a lot smarter than ours.
4. They can divide America & destroy it from within.
5. They can use the media to manipulate American voters.
6. The American economy highly dependent on foreign oil.
7. They can exploit the USA's economic & political flaws.
8. The Democrat's power lust is a means to defeat the USA.
9. The Republicans are too inept to defeat their strategy.

Unfortunately, Al Qaeda's plan for the destruction of the USA is being vigorously aided by forces within American politics that vigorously advocate a reckless withdrawal of American ground forces from Iraq with no regard for the economic or geo-strategic consequences.

Many Americans have become dispirited by 1) the relentless assault of the "Anti-War" forces in the USA, 2) the losses of soldiers in Iraq, 3) the cost of the Iraq effort, and by 4) President Bush's ineptitude in his conduct of the Iraq war. 

While America needs more effective leadership, no amount of ineptitude by the Bush will ever offset the reality that America must maintain a long term ground force deterrent in Iraq to 1) protect America's vital access to Middle East oil, and 2) to control the destructive ambitions of Al Qaeda and Iran. 

Key Al Qaeda Facts

Below is a summary of key points to consider about Al Qaeda:

• Al Qaeda participated in the planning and execution of 9/11.  It was the largest and most heinous act of terrorism in recent history and it changed strategic reality significantly.  However, it did not establish Al Qaeda as a major strategic, economic or military threat to the USA.

• Al Qaeda was inspired to pursue 9/11 because America had not responded to its terror attacks throughout the 1990s.  Al Qaeda's leadership came to see the weakness in America's resolve, and in its political system.  This emboldened Al Qaeda to attack the U.S. on 9/11, and to aggressively pursue a terrorist war against American forces and Iraqi civilians in Iraq. 
  

• Al Qaeda has not successfully attacked the USA for over six years in large part because its focus has been redirected to Iraq.  The Al Qaeda threat to American geo-strategic and economic interests is far greater in Iraq than in Afghanistan.  Despite this, the Democrats continue to assert that U.S. forces should be moved from Iraq to Afghanistan where they will be in no position to do anything about Al Qaeda unless the Democrats are prepared to invade nuclear Pakistan.  An invasion of Pakistan to get Al Qaeda would likely be costly and unsuccessful,  It could possibly topple the Musharraf government and allow radical Islamic factions to seize control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.  

• Al Qaeda has very limited resources, and it is not a significant strategic or military threat to the USA.  Its only strategic relevance today is its ability to heinously kill enough people in Iraq to cause America to withdraw its troops.  If they succeed in that goal, it could set off a sequence of events that could be a major threat to the global economy and western civilization.

• The only ways Al Qaeda can become strategically and economically relevant is if the America withdraws its ground forces  from Iraq, or it succeeds in taking power in Pakistan.

• They view the Arab Sunni States as apostates for their support of American interests in the Middle East.

• Religious Al Qaeda would like to supplant the Saudi royal family as caretakers of Mecca and Medina.

• Secular Al Qaeda would like to join with their radical Wahabi brethren in Saudi Arabia to eject the Saudi and Kuwaiti Royal families and seize control of almost a third of the world's oil reserves as a base of world economic and military that they can use to destroy western civilization and spread their heinous religious and social vision by establishing a huge Islamic caliphate based in Saudi Arabia.
  

• If Al Qaeda can establish free reign to operate from  Iraq and position itself on the Saudi border, it would be in the ideal position to pursue its ambitions.