I mentioned George Soros' book, The Bubble of American Supremacy, in my prior post. An excellent read. Here's a passage from it that succinctly summarizes the obstacles facing us in Iraq, thanks to GW:

In retrospect I can discern the vague outlines of an imaginary master plan conceived by an evil genius called Bin Laden. From his perspective our civilization is degenerate. It is rich and powerful but devoid of true faith. It needs to be destroyed for the truth to prevail. The only way to destroy it is by exploiting its weakness: the fear of death. It will respond to a terrorist attack by lashing out against an unseen enemy. Since the perpetrators remain invisible, the instinctive reaction will claim innocent victims. The victims will be Muslim, Islam will be radicalized, provoking a general confrontation between Islam and the West. Although the West enjoys material superiority, Islam will prevail because it has a major advantage: it is not afraid of death.
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Bin Laden clearly expected a counterstrike in Afghanistan; that is why he had Ahmed Shah Massoud, the only commander capable of mounting an effective campaign against the Taliban, assassinated two days before September 11. The invasion of Iraq was an unexpected gift. American soldiers on Arabian soil are serving as a magnet, attracting Al Qaeda-trained terrorists from all over the world. Sleeper cells are coming alive. Around three thousand people with Al Qaeda connections are said to have disappeared from Saudi Arabia. Some of them must be active in Iraq. President Bush is right in saying that Iraq has become the central front in the war on terror. Wittingly or unwittingly, he has played right into the hands of the terrorists.