The Zawahiri letter is pretty strong evidence that the news media has it
wrong. We *are* winning the war on terror. And Bush's poll numbers will
reflect that in the coming 12 months.


Bush's poll numbers may well go up again. At one time he had 80-90%
approval ratings (when he retaliated against the Taliban for 9-11). He
still had just over half the country either fooled (or too scared of
Kerry) and willing to vote for him just a year ago. There's no limit to
what some clever packaging and a good PR campaign can sell in this
country.

Forget about winning the war on terror. That's as hopeless as trying to
instill civil discourse in a NG, and for many of the same reasons. Few
of the little ****-ant countries in the world can hope to match the
(perceived) military might of the US.
Toe-to-toe conventional military engagements we can typically win with
our superior technology. Some people with a grievance will strike back
with whatever is at hand, and sometimes that's nothing more elaborate
than a crude bomb and a suicide attack.

As long we continue to act the "ugly American" and are increasingly
hated around the world, as long as people like the PNAC group that
currently occupies some of the highest offices in the country view the
rest of the planet as America's political and economic "colony" to use
as we see fit, we will continue to create terrorists faster than we can
kill them.

Even *if* you destroy Al Qaida, that doesn't win the war on terrorism.
If we had nuked Colombia, would that have ended the traffic in illegal
drugs?

Beware an Al Qaida on the ropes........more dangerous/desperate now
than ever.