But how do you know that time for the DO is not linear? He refers to Rand as "adversary", and the DO referred to Rand as "my old adversary" in LoC. This indicates that the DO experiences time in a linear fashion, rather than a rose-petal type event.
For the same reason they switched over this time. Consider that the majority of the Forsaken never got any access to the TP anyway. They still would want power, and presumably, since Rand allowed the DO to affect the world and allowed evil, the DO and further the TP could still be sensed through...
Presumably, the DO can learn from his experiences. Next time around, assuming there IS a next time, why doesn't he just deny the Forsaken any of the TP? That way, saidin and saidar will have to be tainted while the Bore is closed and the world will likely be destroyed.
Relying on a power the...