[jonyt]

The article comes off as a laughable attempt to fire the arrow and then paint the target around it. For example the author claims about 9/11 that "the first attack had already achieved its aims: it dragged the U.S. into a protracted war in Afghanistan, pushed the country back into the moral swamp of torture, and, as a bonus, helped goad America into invading Iraq." Bin Laden was a fanatical mass murderer and his aim was to establish a caliphate. I highly, highly, highly doubt that he saw the attacks as an attempt to degrade the morals of the CIA (or any of the other outlandish claptrap that the author claims).

[jpadkins]

You should read the words of Bin Laden, pre 9/11. His stated goal was: "Terrorizing you, while you are carrying arms on our land, is a legitimate and morally demanding duty."

He wanted to get the US in another Vietnam. He understood the effect it would have on the American people.

[nobunaga]

Bin laden did achieve what he set out, hurting the US, not just the CIA. You could argue that todays problems actually started with Bush and his cronies cheney et al. And while he poked the monster that killed him too much, America is not what it use to be.

And you, underestimate people that are not of your own.