Running Out the Clock

If you want to study the social and political
history of modern nations, study hell
--Thomas Merton

The United States today finds itself with
too much war and too few warriors
--Andrew J. Bacevich,
"The Next President Will Disappoint You"

I went down to the bank this mornin', 'bout half past nine.
Well, I was lookin' for a little somethin' in the credit line.
But the man said: "Look, what we got here, sonny:
"There's too much month at the end of the money"
--Too Much Month, Marty Stuart
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Ranger Question of the Day:
Why does everyone assume Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan?
Why not Saudi Arabia?
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In previous post Daddy Dearest, Ranger posited that the easiest way to disrupt terrorist networks is to foment discord within the ranks, thereby fragmenting their cohesion.

But what if al-Qaeda is the one exception to the rule, and classic attacks like disrupting money conduits and encouraging internal dissent will not work. What then?

Has anyone ever asked them what they want? Did anyone ask Khalid Sheik Mohammed in questioning what was his mission statement? "What were you trying to achieve?"

Did anyone offer them a forum, like a one-page New York Times ad? A professional You Tube? A microblog? Surely al-Qaeda is not so stupid as to espouse a "long war" strategy, are they?

What is their idea of success?