After re-reading your post three times and giving it some deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that you have no idea what we're talking about. Your points are basically accurate, but are not germane to what is being discussed. Like many Ron Paul supporters, (or Paul himself) you seem to have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Thanks for the reply, though.I'm not a Paul supporter. However I do think Paul broke GOP lockstep enough to allow problems with American strategy in the middle east to be discussed. Which aspects do you think aren't relevant?
Specifically, the cause and effect analysis. Yes, the U.S. supported Islamists against the Soviets. Lesser of two evils, good strategy, worked well. But we didn't cause extreme Islamism. Even if we've supported it from time to time as a matter of politics, it's not our creation.
So, you can't pin U.S. interventionism on the creation of Islamism, and, by extention, 9/11. Sounds neat and clean, but it doesn't hold water.
As far as breaking the GOP lockstep, I've been watching the Ron/Rudy threads for days now. By and large, it's ignorant, snooty-sounding RP partisans against ignorant, offended-sounding mainstreamers. The lockstep on either side is in no danger of being broken.