[x-factor]

TR - Correct me if I'm wrong but the Confederate withdrawal didn't begin until the 4th. Wouldn't that mean the battle didn't really end until that morning? I'm definitely not the Civil War historian you are. In anycase, its technicalities.

TS - First, Saldin did in fact whip the Crusaders through cunning and patience...at least compared to the fool-hardy commanders above. And the Crusader states were in fact overextended, overconfident, and overaggressive.

Second, it may not come accross from this excerpt, but the line about "cunning and patience" refers more to how the jihadists view themselves. In the same sense, the reference to modern events in Iraq has to do with how the jihadists think about their own strategy. They view us as overextended, overconfident, and overaggressive. You can tell that much from any Bin Laden statement. Just as you say, "little has changed" in their way of thinking.

Read it again, I make no commentary on our successes or failures in Iraq. I'm simply saying that they've formed their current strategy based on historic example.

Third, if I wanted the board's opinion on the paper, I would have done just what you said. I posted this excerpt because I thought it was an entertaining historical note for the 4th of July. Nothing more.