[ought-six]

"(Ironically, an actual, physical attack on a U.S. city resulting in significant loss of life would almost certainly doom AQ; if a U.S. city were to be destroyed or seriously contaminated, the political pressure on the President for a retaliatory action of the most severe kind against a broad set of Islamic targets would be almost irresistable.)"

Actually, I quite agree with you on this. IF there was a devastating attack that destroyed an American city, with large loss of life, Mecca and Medina would be turned into green glass within 24 hours. Damascus would be history as well as Teheran. And Indonesia might start to glow considerably in the western sky. I don't see such a major attack on an American City or population center (besides the obvious military retaliation, there would be wholesale attacks on Moslems here in the U.S. by outraged and enraged American citizens, and innocents could be harmed; I don't think the islamists would want that: but maybe I'm wrong). More likely, though, all the islamist schools and "madrassas" that have begun sprouting up in this country, all of which sow hatred of America and the West, would likely become smoldering heaps of rubble.

[Jim Noble]

IF there was a devastating attack that destroyed an American city, with large loss of life, Mecca and Medina would be turned into green glass within 24 hours. Damascus would be history as well as Teheran. And Indonesia might start to glow considerably in the western sky.

I think there is no chance at all that Bush would do this.