dKos: Is Al Qaeda a Conspiracy Theory?

London Observer Chief Reporter Jason Burke, author of "Al-Qaeda: the True Story of Radical Islam", believes that the organization known as Al Qaeda was no more than a hard-core of 20-30 militants, largely eliminated after the war in Afghanistan. Burke claims Al Qaeda is a "convenient label applied misleadingly to a diverse, disorganized global movement".
The following quoted materials come from a transcript of the BBC documentary "The Power of Nightmares". I've seen a number of people on dKos recommend this 3-part series... but I haven't seen a thorough diary discussing the implications of it. In the wake of the London bombings, I think it's appropriate to take a fresh look at Al Qaeda.
(These transcripts were contained as part of a BitTorrent download of the video found here) [more]