The high point of American power

Consider this:

9/11 marked the high-point of American power. Immediately following the attacks, virtually the entire world expressed its sympathy and solidarity with us. Far from being seen as holy warriors, those who attacked us were seen as monsters, utterly indifferent to the loss of innocent life. It was only after Bush responded by lashing out and killing so many more innocents in reaction that 9/11 turned into a malevolently clever attack. It was Bush, not al Qaida, that did deep and potentially irreversable damage to America. Without Bush's response, al Qaida could have been brought to justice with the whole world watching, and condemning them with one voice. It was Bush's enraged, intemperate, delusional response that transformed bin Laden from a shadowy monster into a credible world figure who millions could see as someone to be trusted and followed.

This comes form Paul Rosenberg at OpenLeft.

There's a very good reason why bin Laden made threats against America right before the 2004 Presidential election. Bin Laden understood who created him as a world power. It was George Bush. And he wanted Bush reelected.