Do you really believe that the FBI or CIA knew who these people were prior to 911?
Yes.
Let alone what they were up to or capable of...
They did not know what they were capable of, individually.
I agree with your Step #1 and Step #2 wholeheartedly, but do you think they were wearing al-Qaeda pins on their lapels when they came in?
I doubt they were.
Was al-Qaeda stamped in their passports?
I'd say it wasn't as it is not a country.
You seem to be implying (without bother to outright say it) that because they did not identify themselves publicly, there was no way for the FBI/CIA to know they were in the country.
I don't agree with that.
I am not willing to allow myself to look for any type of nefarious political plot.
Okay, I'm going to guess that you mean a plot OTHER than the plot to crash planes into buildings. But it's only a guess.
It seems to me more like we were outsmarted and our system was compromised... We sucked!
Which is what I said. Osama was a known individual prior to the attacks. His location was known. His involvement in other attacks was suspected. Yet we did NOTHING? Even when we knew that his operatives were in the country?
Hopefully, we have learned.
I have yet to see any evidence of that.
#1. We have shifted focus from Osama to The Taliban.
#2. We don't even SEEM to be looking for Osama. Even as a side-line.
#3. We're talking about invading Iraq now.
#4. We're having trouble cooperating with other nations in rooting out al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
So, the guy who planned the attack on the WTC that killed over 3,000 people is not dead, not a prisoner and not a concern any more?
That is EXACTLY the attitude that they exploited to conduct the attack.
If we can't throw a missle at it, we don't understand it.
Serious question
