Why have all the post-9/11 Islamic terrorists in the US been so inept?

All of the above.

Al Qaeta has carried out some successful operations in other parts of the world so they can still do more than feeble stuff that has happen here, but they probably are no longer capable of doing something like 9/11. Our defenses at home are better and they can hurt us easier by concentrating their efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan where they have made life very difficult for our military so you could say the are holding back. Considering the opportunities we had to stop 9/11 its success was due to some combination of their luck and our inattention.

The 9/11 was exquisitely low tech, well-planned, and well-rehearsed. It also took advantage of an entirely different mindset at the time, one that didn't take into account suicide attacks of that magnitude. There has been a quantum change in the approach both the intelligence community and security agencies have taken since then, plus the subsequent attempts have been more "James Bondish", relying on little tricks like shoe bombs or explosive devices. Unless you have someone who is much more highly trained than the idiots they've been able to recruit thus far, the terrorists will continue to fail with those kind of efforts.

The fact that the US took such devastating action immediately to hammer the Al Qaeda infrastructure certainly helped the situation too.

I reject all of that. Muslims have committed hundreds of attacks all over the world for decades. We have many embassies left as rubble to prove it. Some have been successful and some haven't even before 911.

The Texas military base was successful -- why do people place no value at all on the lives of those 13 military Americans?

The Xmas bomber and the Times Square bomber were just flukes that it didn't cause deaths. They were NOT caught before they got that far as the attacks after 911 were in the Bush administration.

They will succeed soon.

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4 - they're holding back. They are still in training, and waiting to see what Obama & Eric Holder's responses will be. So far, it's going to be to treat terrorists like American citizens, read them their miranda rights, and then sit on their hands and do nothing. It's time to stop the insanity, and protect the American people, not cultists.

I thihk it's probably a combination of number 2, 3 and 4.

Personally, I think 9/11 was the apex. It was Bin Laden's swan song, so to speak. It's highly likely that he is dead. Now that he is gone, they might not have the centralized leadership (by way of a figure head) and funding they once did, so there is a state of disarray in the organization.

Our defenses have not improved, we had Fort Hood shooter- Islamic Jihad, Christmas day bomber another Islamic jihad- caught by civilian, NY Times Square bomber another Islamic Jihad- caught by civilian. Jihad Jane.. Our govt lifted most of our defense and cut funding! They must want terrorists to come thru the borders of Mexico because Obama stopped building the wall and decreased funding to protect the borders!

They're testing our reactions and defenses. Obama weakens our defenses in deference to political correctness. It's more important not to offend the easily offended who want to kill everyone in sight, than to be strong and secure.

They were inept before 9/11. It's just that Bush was more inept.