stepping back in time...CNN.com: "TRANSCRIPT OF OSAMA BIN LADEN VIDEOTAPE" (TRANSCRIPT SNIPPET: "UBL: (...Inaudible...) when people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse. This is only one goal; those who want people to worship the lord of the people, without following that doctrine, will be following the doctrine of Muhammad, peace be upon him. (UBL quotes several short and incomplete Hadith verses, as follows): "I was ordered to fight the people until they say there is no god but Allah, and his prophet Muhammad." "Some people may ask: why do you want to fight us?" "There is an association between those who say: I believe in one god and Muhammad is his prophet, and those who don't (...inaudible...) "Those who do not follow the true fiqh. The fiqh of Muhammad, the real fiqh. They are just accepting what is being said at face value."") (December 13, 2001)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757142/posts?page=2#2
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And here's the thread that goes with post no. 1081.
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757142/posts
CIA exercise reveals consequences of defeat
THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | December 21, 2006 | Rowan Scarborough
Posted on 12/21/2006 9:15:47 PM PST by Ooh-Ah
The CIA this month conducted a simulation of how the Iraq war affects the global jihadist movement, and one conclusion was that a U.S. loss would embolden al Qaeda to expand its ranks of terrorists as well as pick new strategic targets, according to sources familiar with the two-day exercise.
...
... key finding appears to bolster Mr. Bush's contention that a U.S. loss in Iraq will have far-reaching ramifications.
At a press conference yesterday, Mr. Bush said, "A lot of Americans understand the consequences of retreat. Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States. Retreat from Iraq would dash the hopes of millions who want to be free. Retreat from Iraq would enable the extremists and radicals to more likely be able to have safe haven from which to plot and plan further attacks."
Al Qaeda has made stopping democracy in Iraq a top priority, according to U.S. military officials. It has recruited hundreds of suicide bombers to come to Iraq and inflict mass casualties to spur a Sunni-Shi'ite Muslim civil war. The group wants to wear down U.S. troops to the point where they will retreat. Al Qaeda's ultimate goal is to turn Iraq and other Middle East countries into hard-line Islamic states, U.S. military officials say.
... Jihadists perceived the victory over the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1988 as a seminal event that spawned the creation of al Qaeda under the direction of Osama bin Laden.
...
"When we did the simulation, the ramifications were enormous,".... The source said al Qaeda will proclaim, "God has given us a second victory over a superpower.
"Imagine what defeat in Iraq would do," said the source. "Al Qaeda picks new targets after it thinks it's won."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
CNN.com: "TRANSCRIPT OF OSAMA BIN LADEN VIDEOTAPE" (December 13, 2001)