Not it isn't! - Edit 1
Before modification by Sidious at 19/12/2009 06:03:02 PM
You keep thinking that when someone talks about being able to "match" one of the Forsaken they are only considering absolute strength! Egwene and the others know better than to think this since they've been around Moghedien and experienced Lanfear etc... Even Cadsuane worries that Semirhage may escape ... and there is no reason to believe that Semirhage's raw strength is what makes her worry! The various Channelers in the area could easily overpower any individual...
Egwene knows Lanfear's strength. It's likely she needs to at least match it to have some idea of victory in her mind. When Nynaeve thinks in FoH about facing Moghedien, she directly compares her strength to Moghedien's. Not much about skill.
If brute strength was her only consideration Egwene would have sent someone after angreal so they could face the Forsaken, or would have discussed much larger circles, instead she keeps it to 3 women. Even then, we have Cyndane v. Alivia as proof that skill trumps strength.
Skill cannot be quantified. Since when do channelers in the series wonder about the skill of the Forsaken? They only care about their power. It's the Forsaken themselves who think that their knowledge is superior - which it is. When Moiraine thinks about Be'lal, she says he's strong enough to destroy them without moving from his chair in Ilian.
Why does Cadsuane send Alivia off alone with an angreal if skill is important? There is absolutely no doubt that the Forsaken's skill is much higher than any of the good guys, but Cadsuane/Egwene don't know that. All that they know is that they need the strength to defeat these people, a strength that is very rare. So Egwene thinks about linking with Romanda and Lelaine - she knows exactly what Lanfear can do.