There is such a thing as "mixed motives." To say that anger over Israel and U.S. support for Israel is one factor for some of them is not to say it's the only factor for all of them.

This is certainly true.

The problem here, Glenn, is you are determined to argue that America's support for Israel is "destructive" for America, and are doing what you can to concoct a narrative to support this premise with scant actual evidence available to you.

So you're mind reading terrorist motivations. This gives you as much credibility as the NeoCons arguing Iran secretly wants to nuke Israel. You can certainly believe it to be true. But there's little evidence suggesting it is.

Atta's attempts to travel to Chechnya to join the war against Russia, his years of speeches in Mosques on the perils of "rock music" and "jewelry" and his belief in the secular corruption of Saudi Arabia are all on the record.

What's not on the record?

Any significant giving a shit about Israel/Palestine.

You can try to amplify this motivation in Atta's psyche because you have an agenda, but don't expect to engender much respect. Your issues with Israel are well known at this point.

But the reason "they hate us" is a laundry list of American intervention in the middle east, our abhorrent behavior under Bush vis a vis torture, and the blantant "Crusade" language used by our previous administration of Christianist zealots.

There's plenty there to motivate Al Qaeda recruitment, and most of it has jack-all to do with American support for Israel.

So please, Winsmith, how do you see Israel threading it's way through the next ten years?

I'm incredibly disheartened by Israel's turn to the right, just as I was in 2000 when Bush took over America. It can only lead to destruction for Israel.

I understand why, as their existential crisis of the past decade dwarfs ours, and I have no doubt this country (and every country on earth) would do what Israel is doing if traumatized by years of suicide bombings and missiles landing randomly in streets.

They offered Palestine land, money, leadership, infrastructure, and Arafat sent in suicide bombers by the hundreds into their streets.

I hope Obama can play the role he's started to, to force Israel back to the table.

I hope the restrictions on Gaza are lessened now that the missiles have stopped. I think settlements have to stop.

I hope the corrupt governments of Jordan and Egypt stop treating the Palestinians like pawns in their propaganda game to keep their populace perpetually enraged at the Other (ala Fox News's "ACORN" stories).

I hope and pray the peace process begins again, as the people of Palestine are suffering more than almost anyone on Earth right now.

Of course I should clarify my remarks -- Al Qaeda attacks a large number of "Westernized" countries, hardly limited to the U.S. Attacks in Madrid, London, etc.

To claim any of this is primarily motivated by our support for Israel is the pinnacle of teh stupid.

Actually not stupid. More like historically easy. Like a comfortable old shoe.

"Israel had nothing to do with why we were attacked on 9/11.

The last time I checked, people angry at Israel attack Israel."

Actually, people in other countries are a little more perceptive, and their views on conflict in the middle east tend to be slightly more nuanced than those found in the States.

U.S. support for Israeli terrorism towards Palestinians is not the only reason September 11th happened, but it's one of them. Kind of like how the fact that GW Bush is a demented sociopath wasn't the only reason we invaded Iraq, but it was one of them.

You can keep repeating this premise if it makes you happy. Glenn certainly does. But there is no evidence of this. I'm sorry if it hurts your world view, but there just isn't. None in the historical record.

Just as there is no sign of Hamas attacking the U.S. Hamas attacks Israel. Al Qaeda attacks America. There is a very obvious, straightforward reason for this.

Al Qaeda was formed as a "religious" response to creeping secularism in the corrupt House of Saud and it's puppet master, the United States of America. Osama Bin Laden was motivated by outrage after the 1992 Gulf War allowed American soldiers to occupy "holy land" to attack Iraq.

Bin Laden's primary motivation was rage with the turn towards Saudi secularism.

Bin Laden doesn't recruit Palestinians, which could be seen as ironic given how many of them are willing to blow themselves up to kill Israelis. But it's not ironic, because Palestinians don't care about attacking the United States. Just as Al Qaeda doesn't care about attacking Israel.

The U.S. has no trouble negotiating or meeting with any of Israel's so-called "enemies." Because, duh, people realize the U.S. and Israel are two different countries.

If Israel disappeared tomorrow, Al Qaeda would still recruit terrorists.

Is Israel zero motivation for Al Qaeda? Of course not. I'm sure there's some anger there. But to call it the primary, or even secondary, or even a significant motivation, is to betray profound historical ignorance as to where Al Qaeda came from and what it stands for.

But if you want to blame 9/11 on Israel, there's not much the providing of silly things like "facts" and "context" can do to assuage you. You and Pat Buchanan can go have a beer and talk about the Dual Loyalists that have infiltrated American government.