Who Cares if Mumbai Attacks Were al-Qaeda?

A strange headline in the NY Times:

Sophisticated Attacks, but Al Qaeda Link Disputed

It doesn't matter if it was al-Qaeda or any other terror group, it was Islamic militants using violence against civilians once again to try to attain their goal of a global caliphate. It doesn't matter if it was Lashkar-e-Taiba, Ansar al-islam or Hezbollah, the simple fact is they are targets that must be hunted and liquidated.

Just as the US military did in Iraq and is currently doing in Afghanistan, we now must do elsewhere, infiltrate these groups if possible, monitor chatter, gain intel and hit them hard, quickly and with extreme violence.

I'm guessing the Times is trying to lessen the gravitas of al-Qaeda or show that Islamo-fascism is increasing in some back-handed stab at President Bush but if it were not al-Qaeda, wouldn't that show that Bush's War on terror has been a success on that front being as al-Qaeda has been substantially weakened by US, Brit and Aussie actions?