Is the al-Qaida an organized army or more just an organized idea ?

[kentuck]

I have seen posts where some folks have stated that al-Qaeda have moved into Iraq. Have that many al-Qaeda troops really moved into Iraq or has the idea behind al-Qaeda taken root with people already in Iraq? My guess would be that it is the latter.

That is why when Muslims sitting in Islamabad, Karachi, Cairo,Tripoli, or anywhere in that part of the world see things such as the abuse at Abu Graib and other demeaning acts by the American military, they do not need the approval of Osama bin Laden or a figure head to oppose the "invaders". It is an idea that has been planted and nourished over the years and it is ready to be harvested. Rather than let it rot on the vine, Bush has walked thru the orchard and slapped at all the bee hives and now we have more al-Qaeda than we knew existed.

[lazarus]

1. Al Qaeda is two things, imo

One, it's a boogie man used by BushCo.

Two, it's a franchise setup. There are no annual meetings, no chain of command, nothing like that. It's simply a loose affiliation of fellow travelers who use the resources of bin Laden to do things.

If it was as big and effective a group as we're told, we'd be seeing 9/11-level attacks every 3 months, instead of every year or so.

Let's face it, anybody with a few million dollars a few thousand people willing to commit suicide could bring this country to its knees pretty quickly. That's why I don't believe they're anything near the level of power BushCo claims.

Or else the terrorists are as stupid as BushCo, and that's difficult to imagine. Two groups in the world equally as stupid?

[Warpy]

2. Al Qaeda means "the base"

Bin Laden was a rich man who used his money to set up a training camp for independent groups of terrorists whose main target was the European/American west. Some of these guys may have run their plans past their teachers in that base, but the plans didn't come from the top down. That's my sense of the whole thing, anyway, from talking to people around the world.

This is a criminal problem, not a military one. Sure, we needed to have those training camps destroyed, something Clinton tried to do to a chorus of "wag the dog" from the lunatic right. The only thing that may prevent many (but not all) of the terrorist attacks against the west is internationally coordinated police work, something Bush has pretty much slammed the door on in favor of unilateral military strikes against Arab countries.

We have to get rid of this lunatic bunch before the whole world explodes.

[plcdude]

5. I have always

felt the same as you. These are cells and groups of people performing criminal acts on a global basis. This is an international intelligence/police function that seeks, pursues, and captures or kills if necessary these individual groups. They are independent entities who seek funding from many individuals, organizations, and in some cases governments to carry out their missions of terror to rid areas and if possible the world of the degenerate western culture that they view is destroying their values and way of life. Our response to these kinds of entities has literally played into their hands for growth and increased rationale for waging their holy wars.

[Old and In the Way]

3. AQ is well marketed by this administration.

Given the 3 year rhetoric, you'd think AQ had a 5MM man army that has declared war on the entire world. Really, maybe a couple of thousand regulars hiding out in caves is more like it. People should ask themselves, would an internationally focused police action and $5BB have wiped out AQ? Obviously. But then, Republicans couldn't have had their WOT and the cover to pay-off their political benefactors (Halliburton, Big Oil, etc).

For all their focus on AQ, I've yet to see a playing card deck....why won't this administration market one? We got one for Iraq. I'd like to know who we think are the top 52 AQ leaders in the world.....

[bemildred]

4. "franchise setup".

That's good. I've been trying to think up the right
description or model for it. I like "infectious agent"
too, if you provide the right medium, it spreads into it.

[ElementaryPenguin]

6. Top Al-Qaeda leaders such as Cheney, Rumsfeld, & Rove

Probably consider themselves more an idea than a bonafide army.

:puke:

[radwriter0555]

7. it's a work of fiction...

actually.

[soothsayer]

8. I'm not even sure there IS an al qaeda

Might be CIA, Mossad, whomever