If you were speaking of individual Jihadists, I'd maybe agree with you, because as individuals they are bizarre sociopaths, with little if any sense of self restraint. But they operate as a well oiled and unified team. Implacable, PATIENT and totally focused on the goal. September 11th was a well planned and well rehearsed event. It was but a "fingertip" in relation to the next operation or phase. Make no mistake they are planning a "death blow" for the "Great Satan." A single nuke might only have the effect of hardening even liberal attitudes against Islam. The foreseeable consequence of a nuke on NYC might be reducing Mecca or Medina to irradiated glass for the next thousand years or so. They'll want to make sure we're too busy recovering from millions of deaths to think about massive retaliation, against anybody, anywhere. I think that logic is flawed, but I doubt they'll see it that way.
They may wish to sit on the sidelines while the big boys duke it out. It may be that they want us to respond to a trigger event, in the hopes of a causing a land slide.
After reading about "suitecase nukes" being lost in the early 90's and their high maintenance, I don't think they are here. The arguments against them are overwhelming. Too small and too high maintenance.
I would think that larger, lower maintained bombs would be just as easily shipped into this country. Besides Russian scientists, there are also about 20 Pakistani scientists that have "disappeared". The risk for smuggling a suitecase is about the same for a larger bomb. The large bomb has a much lower maintenance factor. Which would you put your priority on? I am basically saying that the suitcase nuke thing is not very credible. It has no support.
Much agree.