Al Qaeda is nearly strategically defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia , has had significant setbacks globally, and is on the defensive throughout much of the world, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a Washington Post interview published on Friday. citing major gains against Osama bin Laden’s network and its allies. Successes extend even to the lawless region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where bin Laden is believed to be living. Other Muslims are pushing back against al Qaeda’s extremist form of Islam.

Hayden expressed concern that the progress against al Qaeda could be halted or reversed because of what he views as growing complacency and a return to the mind-set that existed before the September 11 attacks. He did not say one of the concerns involves promises by liberal Democrat presidential candidates to “cut and run” that would allow al Qaeda to regroup, and dishearten allies, and Iraqis.

International media reports generally are siding with Hayden while U. S. mainstream media choses to ignore the good news. Foreign newspapers from Germany to India are calling the progress remarkable since the surge strategy has been in effect. It is difficult to project how many lives and treasure would have been saved had President Clinton taken advantage of either offer by Sudan to arrest and take bin Laden into custody and turn him over to the U. S. before 9-11. Clinton refused both offers and 3,000 were killed on 9-11-2001 and tens of thousands since.

Last 5 posts by Richard Cochrane

• Wither NEWSWEEK – June 1st, 2008
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• It’s Not As Black and White As It Is Black And White. – May 31st, 2008
• Same-sex Marriage and Abortion To Be on California’s Fall Ballot – May 31st, 2008
• NBA Pauses for DNC Debacle – May 31st, 2008