> She wants to keep calling Bush a liar, in keeping with the overall Howard Dean campaign strategy.
> The American general public has no idea whether Al Qaeda fighters are present in Iraq or not.
> She knows there is no risk of the media correcting her.
Stupid doesn't enter into it. It's low, cynical political garbage.
Bingo! She's smart because she knows that no matter what she says, the press will back her up and even amplify what she says.
She knows that it is the results that matter, not how you get the results (gee, that rings a bell...)