Thankfully, that's not the case, Bin Laden is not sitting in his cave in Tora Bora sticking pins in the Bill of Rights and cursing Thomas Jefferson. The reality is far different from the fictions being spun at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The fact is, bin Laden was a CIA asset until the early 1990's when Bush the Elder hoodwinked the Saudi's (with false satellite imagery) into believing they were in imminent risk of invasion from Iraq. (The Soviet Union later produced evidence that the photographs were false) Allowing the "infidel" US Military to establish bases in the Holy Land of the Prophet was the last straw for bin Laden, and the attacks began.

The bases outside of Mecca and Medina were not the only reason for bin Laden's anger. For a long time, US corporations, like Vinnel corp, have been involved in training the Saudi Security apparatus. This dubious arrangement effectively keeps the regime in place and the common people in a constant state of trepidation. It's no secret that the ongoing repression is facilitated by the US and bears their tacit imprimatur.

This is the root of our current war with Islamic extremism. It is grounded in legitimate grievances against decisions in American foreign policy and actions taken by American corporations. We can either make a reasonable attempt to reconcile our excesses by conforming to internationally accepted standards of justice, or pursue the present strategy of perpetual war.

No grievance will ever excuse the crime that was perpetuated against the 3000 innocent people who died on Sept, 11. But, if we expect to protect ourselves from future attacks, we'd better try to get a grip on its full meaning. That means grasping bin Laden's real motives, and the reasons the Bush Administration keeps trying to conceal them. It's difficult to believe at this point that anyone could have any doubts about Bush's global aspirations, and how the 9-11 attacks have served those ends.