The New Al-Qaeda Central, September 9, 2007, washingtonpost.com

The author, Craig Whitlock, starts by describing Al-Qaeda and their continuous incline of strength since September 11, 2001. No one has heard or seen Bin Laden on tape since October 2004, however, the terrorist released a 26 minute video tape this past Friday stating what no American wants to hear: "We have survided." Over the past six years, America has spent trillions of dollars trying to diminish terrorism in the Middle East and capture key players in terrorist organizations like The Taliban. However, America's effort has backlashed and Al-Qaeda has once again reconstructed its arms and leadership (shura). Half the reason Al-Qaeda has become so strong in the past few years, is its ability to recruit new leaders and members. Because Al-Qaeda has reconstructed, it has continued to carry out acts of terrorism, such as the London transit bombings in 2005. The U.S. has since tried to get rid of main Al Qaeda leaders, but many have failed because of poor communication or skewed information. Al-Qaeda does not use technology as a form of communication which makes it even more difficult to intercept conversations between prominent leaders.

This article once again makes me question the motives of this war. I know this is a debate we all have heard over and over. When will the debate end? I realize this question may be daunting in certain ways, but its a question that really needs to be answered by someone who is an authority figure. The artcile gives the public another reason to disagree with the Bush administration and its supporters. With the election in sight, news headlines will have everything to do with the politicians. They will be questioned mostly about their motives and ideas concerning the war. I guess only time will tell who our next "successor" will be.