[The Raven]

Remember that the Democratic campaign strategy is to focus the national-security debate on withdrawing from Iraq, and neutralize the Pub's advantage when the debate is on the broader war on terror.

The prize will be to take credit for everything Bush has done.

[Axhandle]

I agree that the situation in Iraq helps to motivate more Muslims to join radical groups. However, I also believe that those Muslims are more motivated to take up the more pressing cause of driving the infidels from Arab land, rather than the thought of coming to America and blowing stuff up here. The latter will not go away until we find all of them and kill them, but there is merit to the "flypaper theory" for the former.

[elli1]

Remember that the Democratic campaign strategy is to focus the national-security debate on withdrawing from Iraq...

IOW's, the Dems want to surrender our license to kill bad guys and to move the war front back to Manhattan with office workers on the front line.

[GreenAccord]

Democrats, Women and Children hardest hit.

[1curiousmind]

Speaking of Al Qaeda in Iraq....last night on CNN Anderson Cooper's 360, he was speaking with his Baghdad reporter (don't remember his name) who said the following...and I quote, "The great thing about Al Qaeda is that it is an idea which inspires..."

Yes, that's right. An American (and I use that term loosely) journalist (that one too) just said "the great thing about Al Qaeda." You could see by the look on his face as the words came out of his mouth that he knew he had just made an "oops."

Now that's what I call "fair and balanced." Unbelievable.

[IamConservative]

The root cause for the development of jihadists are the teachings of the Imams in muslim schools/Churches. It could fairly be argued that our foreign policy over the years may have incited a few to act out on the teachings, but none the less, the teachings are the root cause. The would be jihadis are taught from birth to spread Islam by the sword.

We are doomed to be conquered by the sword unless the left and the appeasers get serious about defending the US.

[Aquinasfan]

The Democrats are trying to lose this war just like they did with Vietnam, with equally disastrous results. Their cowardice is disgusting.

[penelopesire]

Fox & Friends were talking about this a while ago. Thanks for posting the link.

[petercooper]

bttt

[true_blue_texican]

bump for later

[M. Dodge Thomas]

It's quite possible that Al Qaeda itself is becoming a less important participant in Iraq even as the potential dangers posed by jihadist influence increase there and elsewhere.

I this regard I can't recommend “The Looming Tower” highly enough as an aid to understanding the role of Al Qaeda a it's many associated groups. For example many in the US are still thinking in terms of "body counts" (the "Terrorst Magnet" theory). But Al Qaeda suffered many reverses and even abject defeats (Osama Bin Laden, for example, was particularly inept as a leader during actual military operations) and by claiming victory even in defeat and taking credit for the successful actions of others was able to create a powerful mystique which served it well both as a recruiting beacon and as a inspiration to other similar groups.

In this light, our position in Iraq appears particularly unfortunate.

Someday, we will leave.

And when we do the, Jihadists will take credit for our "expulsion", and many will believe them, further increasing their influence. (This is exactly what happened in Afghanistan - Al Qaeda played a very minor role in that conflict, but Al Qaeda successfully trafficked in inflated accounts of its importance in expelling the Russians for a decade thereafter.)

Meanwhile, we have 100,000 plus high-tech troops, at a cost of 30-50 billion dollars a year, fighting a shadowy enemy who is successfully attacking them with roadside bombs made for $10 or less from a salvaged artillery round. Under these conditions from the Jihadist prespective – and more important to many in the Islamic world - our victories are the result of the criminal application of massive fire power – the frustrated lashings out of a wounded giant – while any Jihadist success against our troops is a valiant act of resistance successfully undertaken again enormous odd.

And this - barring a political miracle in Iraq – in a war with no end in sight that will not be celebrated by Radical Islam as its victory, and perceived by almost everyone else as our loss.

So IMO it’s time facts: we may have undertaken the occupation of Iraq with the best of intentions, and perhaps given a different strategy – more men on the ground to maintain order, and a more realistic set of expectations as to how the internal politics would play out - we might have left Iraq - and ourselves - in a better position.

But as the situation has actually developed, whatever Al Qaeda’s role in Iraq at the end of our involvement in that sorry country, in the battle with “Islamic Terrorism” writ large we are almost certainly going to “lose” in Iraq.

I don't think that current leadership of either party can admit this, or formulate realistic plans to extract us from this mess - their reputations are on the line, and it's just to tempting to "kick the can down the road" and hope the next guy will take the blame.

But in the meantime, we can continue to educate ourselves about the history, aims, and strengths and weaknesses of the Radical Islamic movements that have turned to terrorism and how they relate to the broader course of Islamic thought (and I'll say it again "The Looming Tower" is a good place to start).

Because until we do - and demand better of out leaders - we cannot expect no better of them.

[Kaslin]

They were talking on Fox and Friends about this earlier this morning

[JIM O]

The letter, should have been sent to McCain instead of Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda could have asked for funding. John would want to make sure it's a fair fight.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Atiyah also confirms that a letter publicized last fall to Zarqawi from Ayman al Zawahiri was authentic, even though Zaraqwi's organization and some intelligence analysts here said at the time it was a fake.

At the tail end of the article the writer slips this in. This should have been front and center, in my opinion.

[Dajjal]

jihad bump

[Valin]

He complains that Al Qaeda is weak both in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region and in Iraq.


Oh NO! More bad news for the deomcrats. When will it ever end?