My argument does not assume such a thing to be true. It only assumes that AlQueda believes such a thing; and they clearly stated that the Somalia adventure proved such a thing. Neither you nor I may agree with them, but that won't change their minds a whit.
It also presumes that these barbarians are patient to the extreme.
Well, it does propose that the leaders have a longer term vision than the 4-year US Election cycle, and way, way longer than the quagmire-talking media. Islam does have a long term goal to conquer the world, and the strategy I noted is one that they have used before, so it makes sense that OBL might be using it again.
I don't think it's patience in the Western sense; as in delaying gratification while patiently working through a war to get the to the other side. I believe that OBL, and many other muslims, are quite happy to make violent war against infidels their lifes work, and also the lifes work for their children and grandchildren. Thus they take their gratification in violence now, with only enough patiences to keep the violence level low enough they don't get nuked out of existence.
I'm not as sanquine about the rest of the world as you are. China is willing to be vicious against any uprising, so they will be ok. The Phillipines is hurting, but the news from Manila is equivocal about whether they can get organized to fight off the muslim insurrection yet again. Thailand has trouble, but the Buddhists have a poor historical record in fighting Islam. Pakistan makes a pretense, but the number of radical madrassas has gone up 10-fold.
These people are cold-blooded killers, and while not stupid they are quite insane,...
You might consider OBL to be insane in his motives and goals, but that doesn't mean he isn't quite rational in his methods. What I've described is a strategy for a smaller group to attack the allies and morale of a larger group. It's a strategy to keep the enemy too confused and demoralized to fight effectively. It's a war of attrition, but unlike the Western way of attrition, it's fought in slow motion, more like a frog-boil than Patton's Third Army tank attacks. It's a strategy out of the Koran, and one that has worked. It's been used in Viet Nam and Afganistan. OBL is quite familiar with it.
Part of such a strategy is to get the opposition confused so that they have no idea what's comming next. Like maybe getting them to believe you are insane and therefore unpredictable.
If OBL had patience, he might wait until Pakistan and Iran and Iraq and Algeria all had the bomb, and enough delivery mechanisms to wipe the US out. He isn't that patient, so if he does get his hands on a couple, he'll make the best use of the few he gets. Since he gets only one blow, it'll have to be the last blow. The strategy I suggested is one that fits his needs.
Take a look at the troubles in Iraq. There were idiots who stood up and got shot after somebody dissed their mommas. However, somebody else did take the time to either infiltrate the water department, or subvert somebody in the water department to find the best place to put a bomb to disable the Bagdad water supply. The idiots might be dead, but they were useful in keeping attention away from the people doing the big damage, (and maybe useful in improving the Arab gene pool). They don't all have to be rational. It might serve their interests to have a few less-than-bright ones out in front, to provide cover for the bright ones burrowing in behind the noise.
It's been noted that it's almost impossible to convert a muslim to any other religion. We probably have to find a way to do so, as I doubt any Western government has the stomach for the alternative.
The Western governments don't have the stomach to name the enemy. 'Religion of Peace', indeed! (spit!). Using the term 'insurrection', for a foreign invasion is another indication of unwillingness to see the truth. Avoiding the word 'terrorist' for those who claim the point of their actions is to spread terror is another idiocy. If you don't properly identify your enemy, you will surely misestimate or underestimate them.
We have found a way, we've employed it Iraq and Afghanistan, and the hope is that it will spread throughout the region. It's called democracy. And for all its great points, democracy (unfortunately) tends strongly towards secularism and the suppression of religion, (as we see happening today in America and every major Democracy in the world, and even in India and Turky).
Though I doubt Bush or any of his military commanders planned to use democracy for such a purpose in Iraq, it will eventually constrain and diminish religious fervor and dominance there, and any other middle eastern country it may spread to, including Afghanistan. For whatever the reason, elected officials in a democracy don't like any challenges to their authority, especially from religion. Personally, I think that once the yoke of Islamic oppression is diminished by the light and freedoms of democracy, Islam will be an extraordinarily easy religion for the people to neglect.
In the meantime the fight rages on between freedom and slavery, Democracy and theocracy, Christianity and Islam. Though few will say out loud the fight is between Christianity and Islam, most people know this in their hearts. Islam will fail utterly because it is a power loosed from Hell, and like all tyrannies its grip on people is the grip of fear. The men are toilers and servants to the mullahs and imams, and the women are chattel. When these gullible dupes of Islam decide to shake off this yoke of fear, the shackles of Islam will be lifted and the revolt will be unstoppable. Democracy will go a very long way in enlightening their dark souls. The gates of hell will not prevail against God and His people.