The evolving threat of al-Qaeda

This current assessment directly contrasts President Bush's analysis of Bin Laden at a March 2002 press conference. When asked about the threat of Bin Laden, Bush stated "terror is bigger than one person.  And he's
just  --  he's a person who's now been
marginalized.  His network, his host government has been
destroyed. " The dialogue continued...

Q    But don't you believe that the threat that
bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead
or alive?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, as I say, we haven't heard much
from him.  And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center
of any command structure.  And, again, I don't know where he
is.  I  --  I'll repeat what I
said.  I truly am not that concerned about him.  I
know he is on the run.  I was concerned about him, when he
had taken over a country.  I was concerned about the fact
that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the
Taliban.

But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he
became  --  we shoved him out more and more on the
margins.  He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers
anymore."

Once again it appears that our foreign policy decisions are based on faulty reasoning. President Bush made Iraq his central front in the War on Terror. The terrorists, it seems, have used the opportunity to reorganize and rebuild.