Thoughts on Al Qaeda

I think it's a mistake to use the word "al Qaeda" constantly to refer to who is "after us" because I think our actions in the past three years have changed the playing field remarkably.

I don't believe al Qaeda is either as vanquished as leading officials have told us, or the omnipotent force other officials have told us. I also believe there is far more than one organization we refer to as al Qaeda now in the mix.

Our actions - however you view them - have created a great deal of hatred and terror throughout the world, perhaps moreso even than what we felt in our first month or two after the 9-11-01 attack. In creating more scared, angry, unemployed Arabs - and others - we have made the monster bigger, broader, and probably more powerful.