Al Qaeda is but one of many, many Islamic terror organizations and in many ways, 9/11 not withstanding, they are the least of our worries. As with communism, our main concern should be the spread of Islam around the globe, in Britain and Europe, Asia and Africa and in the United States. Al Qaeda helped put the wind in the Islamic sails and they are sailing on the breeze of what is, in their minds, historic inevitability, just as was the case when communism was on the rise.

WaPo: Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

In a strikingly upbeat assessment, the CIA chief cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership.

While cautioning that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat, Hayden said Osama bin Laden is losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Islamic world and has largely forfeited his ability to exploit the Iraq war to recruit adherents. Two years ago, a CIA study concluded that the U.S.-led war had become a propaganda and marketing bonanza for al-Qaeda, generating cash donations and legions of volunteers.

All that has changed, Hayden said in an interview with The Washington Post this week that coincided with the start of his third year at the helm of the CIA.

"On balance, we are doing pretty well," he said, ticking down a list of accomplishments: "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally -- and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' -- as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam," he said.

What the Islamic world is pushing back against is 1) al Qaeda's violent tactics against fellow Sunni Muslims and 2) the Shi'a are fighting their traditional Sunni enemies which includes al Qaeda and 3) Muslim governments are cracking down against subversive groups like al Qaeda and al Qaeda's mother organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, in order to maintain their hold on power. There has been no real ideological break with "their form of Islam," rather it's all about tactics and timing in the overall struggle between Islam and the infidel world. I wonder if Hayden could pass Mary's Islam quiz.