- not, to be sure, exactly to him, but to his debased style of thinking, his understanding of how the world works?  What was damaged was not only the quality of political discussion and decision-making but something that might be called the dignity of the real.
</p>
<p>
Surely our reaction suited bin Laden well.  He had no power to "change everything" unless the government of the United States agreed.  <i>Then</i> everything <i>could</i> change.
</p>
<p>
The government of the United States did agree. And a 