Great post! One comment, from one who spent time with the mujahideen, is necessary to counter the so-called 'blowback' theory. Quite simply, it isn't true. OBL carefully--some would say assiduously--avoided any direct engagement with the Soviet enemy in Afghanistan until the war was won, whereupon he immediately attempted to establish himself as a brave mujahid, much to the amusement of the Afghans. The American aid and arms that defeated the Soviets were often unwisely (e.g. Hekmatyar) distributed to the seven primary mujahideen parties (and later, in direct aid to field commanders when it became clear that the party leaders were banking the funds) but never to OBL and his crowd, who were seen as opportunistic and cowardly for sitting out the conflict in the safety of estates in Peshawar while the real mujahideen did the dirty work. The Afghans living in the NWFP were passionately pro-American and were buying none of Bin Laden's political or religious agenda. In fact, he kept himself so invisible few even knew he was in town. So he went to work radicalizing the Pakistanis, especially the masses of disaffected students who were, amazingly to some, pro-Soviet! [Not really all that surprising, since the local and Arab students at Peshawar University bitterly resented both the international attention and money coming to the refugee Afghans, as well as their incredible business acumen and financial instincts--which put many Pakistanis out of work.] OBL spent his--and the Saudi--money buying influence with the Pakistani government and military...Afghans were not such an easy target. The Arab "Gucci" mujahideen preferred the coffeeshop at the Pearl Intercontinental to socializing with the feared wild and woolly Afghans. Even the complicit Pakistanis were regarded by OBL's gang as inferior, unattractive and uneducated. Hence the need for spending most of their money on indocrination camps--the madrassas--where Pakistanis might be taught the true Wahhabi way. Sorry to wander a bit off topic, but it is frustrating to see how the history of OBL is consistently ignored or perverted to promote the 'blame America' line at the Times. It is a great disservice to ignore the truth about the man and the movement.