I remember seeing Larry Johnson's face on the news constantly after 9/11. He sounded authoritative and strong and presented a different viewpoint than he does now. These days, he sounds like Cindy Sheehan's boyfriend. The article is right on.
Johnson, who also served as the deputy director for the office of counterterrorism at the State Department in the early 90s, was interviewed by PBS's Frontline for its 1999 program, "Hunting for bin Laden." According to Johnson, Americans had "tended to make Osama bin Laden sort of a superman in Muslim garb," when in reality he is "more of a symptom of a problem" than a looming threat. And while bin Laden "would like to kill Americans . . . wanting to is different from being able to, having the full capabilities in place." By Johnson's lights, "Osama bin Laden . . . has not been a very effective organizer or leader. He talks a great game."