2003 Intel: Iraq War Will Aid Qaeda, Iran

Senate Report Finds U.S. Intelligence Agencies Warned White House In Early 2003 Of Iraq War Consequences

(AP)  U.S. intelligence agencies warned senior members of the Bush administration in early 2003 that invading Iraq could create instability that would give Iran and al Qaeda new opportunities to expand their influence, according to an upcoming Senate report.

Officials familiar with the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation also say analysts warned against U.S. domination in the region, which could increase extremist recruiting. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the report's declassification is not finished. It could be made public as soon as this week.

The committee also found that the warnings predicting what would happen after the U.S.-led invasion were circulated widely in government, including to the Pentagon and the Office of the Vice President. It wasn't clear whether President Bush was briefed.

A National Security Council spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

The report comes as the administration is facing renewed criticism for failing to execute adequate post-invasion plans to stabilize Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled. Meanwhile, the White House has been trying to make the case that Iraq cannot be abandoned.

The committee's findings are the latest chapter in its four-year investigation into the prewar intelligence assessments on Iraq. An earlier volume, completed and released in 2004, was highly critical of the intelligence community and then-CIA Director George Tenet.

That 511-page document found widespread problems throughout U.S. spy agencies and said the intelligence community engaged in “group think” by failing to challenge the assumption that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Senators also found that analysts failed to explain their uncertainties to policymakers.

Yet, in predicting the effects of the U.S. invasion, the committee now finds that U.S. analysts appear to have largely been on the mark.

A former intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision to go to war had been made months before the 2003 papers were drafted and analysts had no delusions that they were going to head off military action. Rather, the official said, they hoped their warnings would be considered in the planning.

Since the release of his memoir several weeks ago, Tenet has been criticized anew for not doing more to warn Bush about the shaky Iraq intelligence and the consequences of invading.

Yet his book provided a glimpse of some of the prewar warnings about the consequences of invading Iraq.

For instance, he discusses a paper prepared for a Camp David meeting with the president in September 2002 entitled, “The Perfect Storm: The Negative Consequences for Invading Iraq.” Tenet called the paper a list of “worst-case scenarios,” which included anarchy and territorial breakup of Iraq and a surge of global terrorism against U.S. interests, fueled by deepening Islamic antipathy toward the United States.

He also notes that, in an early 2003 intelligence paper, analysts warned that “a post-Saddam authority would face a deeply divided society with a significant chance that domestic groups would engage in violent conflict with each other, unless an occupying force prevented them from doing so.”

The paper, which is believed to figure in the Senate investigation, also noted that Iraq's long history of foreign occupation means that it has a deep dislike of occupying forces.

Since 2003, the Senate committee — led by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and now Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. — has been trudging through its investigation of what went wrong, frequently slowed by politics.

Last fall, the committee released new chapters on what was learned after the invasion about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and its links to terrorism and how information from an advocacy group, the Iraqi National Congress, crept into U.S. intelligence reporting.

While the first phase of its report was supported unanimously just before the 2004 presidential elections, the newer findings on the intelligence community's predictions about postwar Iraq have drawn dissent from Republicans. Details on the committee's vote have not yet been released.

[randalds]

This is news? Is there a thinking person on this entire earth who didn't know that taking out Saddam Hussein would be the best thing to happen for Iran? I mean sure Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and their crowd didn't think of that, but they're all brain dead as*sholes, so that's their excuse, but is there anyone else so stupid as not to be able to understand this? Anyone? Anyone?

[gdmoore2]

The Bush administration lied to the American people, trying to push a political agenda. What else is new? They lie about everything. At least they are consistent.

[cdfoxtrot]

Funny this. We keep hearing that the US intelligence services made the mistakes that have led us to the disastrous situation we're now in, in Iraq. Yet here there were clearly dissenting voices, except they were drowned out by likes of Wolfowitz, Pearl and Cheney. If the Dems. ever develop a pair of b***s, they might actually go after the jag-offs who got us into this mess. Properly. I'm talking impeachment. Any takers???

[randalds]

Saddam Hussein was hated by al-Qaeda because they saw him as a secularist who did business with the West, including the US. Iran hated Saddam Hussein because he'd launched a deadly war against them, including using deadly gas supplied to him by the US, that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented Iran from becoming a regional power. Bush hates al-Qaeda And Iran, so instead of keeping their common enemy in the region in power, thereby restricting their power, he attacked the number one enemy of both of them in the region, thereby helping out immeasurably both of the powers that he hates?

Anyone else see the problem with this logic? This is how screwed up the mind of the moron in the White House works. If this doesn't frighten and disgust you, then you just are not paying attention.

[gdmoore2]

In Iraq, Bush walked right into an unnecessary war of attrition with both eyes open. And here we are (again). If General Giap is watching all this, he must be shaking his head in disbelief.

[gdmoore2]

Right about now, the Republicans are organizing a cash flow to the Iraqi parliament, buying those votes for the Parliament to impose a date certain for U.S. troops to be out. When the vote comes, Boehner and McConnell will declare victory. Then comes the confetti and wag the dog. The money flows, the hardware stays, a few lingering advisors, and then the ticker tape parade.

Many, many Americans, average people, had the sense to know that invading Iraq would inflame the Arab world ever further and cause greater numbers to radicalize. It didn't take a genius...just a little common sense and basic understanding of human nature, particularly the Arab mindset in the Middle East. But Bush, Cheney, and Wolfowitz saw a chance to invade and they took it, never mind the predictions. There were a few charges that the CIA was being pressured by the Bush Administration to find reasons to invade, but the American press was not covering it. Canadian news sources, easily available at the time, were reporting these allegations. However, the American press remained silent on the issue. It seemed to me that our media wanted the invasion!

[mh4cbs1]

When will you anti-war Democrats learn! Your pathetic, spineless Democrats in Congress will DO NOTHING to stop Bush.

Ralph Nader was right, considering the needs we all have for our society and planet, there is really very little difference in what our Corporate-Owned Democrats and the Corporate-Owned Republicans actually DO to help average hard working middleclass families. Clinton gave us NAFTA and did nothing for the environment.

[randalds]

When will you anti-war Democrats learn! Your pathetic, spineless Democrats in Congress will DO NOTHING to stop Bush.

Posted by mh4cbs1 at 11:49 PM : May 23, 2007


I disagree (which I rarely do with you). the anti-war democrats are growing in strength, though I will grant that it's taking us awhile to take over our party, but what the hell, it took the rabid neocons awhile to take the republican party away from the republicans that'd controlled it for decades. as for Ralphie, I used to respect him a lot back in the 60's, but his runs for president are nothing but pathetic ego trips. He's destroying his own legacy with his constant demands for attention. he's embarrassing himself and anyone who used to support him.

[ralan40]

...yeah well the intelligence community wasn't too reliable up to and after 9-11. They missed that AND got dupped by the WMDs in Iraq. The senior democrats "who voted for the war before they were against it" were fooled as well. They had access to the same intellegence reports. How much credibility did we think they had in 2003? or even now?

We made a mess of things, yeah, the report was right...helloooo? should have been doing it all along.

We got "kicked in the crotch" on 9-11 and we wanted a fight. Saddam had to go, anyway (remember Clinton Bombing Bagdad during the Monica Lewinski scandal?). He committed enough Genocide on his own people. We failed to account for "The Soviet Factor". Sometimes it's better to keep I enemy then to remove the totalitarian law that kept these people from killing each other. (see also - Former Yugoslavia)

[ralan40]

hindsight = 20-20

[feelfree1]

Re: "Yet, in predicting the effects of the U.S. invasion, the committee now finds that U.S. analysts appear to have largely been on the mark."

Many top Democrats are deeply complicit in the mass-murderous Bush crusade in Iraq, and they are now struggling to find a justification for their actions.

The chaos in Iraq is intentional, and always has been. It has been relentlessly fomented from the beginning, using such programs as the 'Salvador Option', under John Negroponte, and with black-bag operations by Western spooks, such as the British SAS soldiers who were caught in Iraq with Arab disguises and bombs.

'Divide and conquer' is about as basic as it gets, when it comes to empires. The closer one looks, the less likely it appears that there is, or has ever been, any 'al-Qaeda-in-Iraq', other than as Western psy-ops tool- always turning up when it most benefits the regime.

We have instead, most likely, been fighting the people of Iraq all along. That is one reason why the 'Qaeda' fables are so important to the regime. Without this boogie-man, we are faced with the fact that we are fighting and killing only the Iraqi people. And the Iraqi people obviously have every right to defend themselves from the brutal and illegal invasion of their country, from the collaborators of the invaders, and from the mercenaries.

[thechinaman1]

HEY RALAN40:

there is a thing called google. use it to search "scowcroft" and "iraq".

read his op-ed in 2002.

hindsight my ***.

[feelfree1]

Will someone please throw me a line? I am nearly suffocating after suffering through this ridiculous propaganda piece.

Where the hell to start?

We notice that there is no author to this report, and we can easily guess why. We see broad, unsupported claims and unknown, unnamed officials who cannot be reached for comment.

Re: "and said the intelligence community engaged in 'group think' by failing to challenge the assumption that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction."

This is very deceptive. The intelligence was not a 'mistaken assumption'. The fraudulent case for invading Iraq was deliberately cooked up by the Bush regime, by men and women like Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, *** Cheney, and Doug Feith. They knowingly and deliberately cooked and fabricated the case against Iraq, under the auspices of shadowy groups like the Office of Special Plans.

Tenet went along with a wink and a nod, and now he is trying to escape a war crimes tribunal, with his new book of half-truths and bold deceptions.

[kansas1946]

U.S. intelligence agencies warned senior members of the Bush administration in early 2003 that invading Iraq could create instability that would give Iran and al Qaeda new opportunities to expand their influence, according to an upcoming Senate report.
************************
Duh. Looks like King George didn't listen to this intellegence either. Worst president in US history.

Duh? Did the Us invade Iraq? wherehave I been? Certainly ther president wasn't that dumb.

[feelfree1]

The illegitimate and out-of-control Bush regime will need to orchestrate another major 'terrorist' attack, and soon, if they hope to cling to power.

An even newer 'Pearl Harbor'...

[might15]

You know I'm sick of hearing Warmongers crying "Genocide" as now the main reason for illegally invading a foreign country!!! Why aren't we then rushing into Sudan or other parts of Africa....ooops, we all know why. You people who continue to search for a reason for this war need to just shut up and sign up!

[toldyouso21]

"The paper, which is believed to figure in the Senate investigation, also noted that Iraq's long history of foreign occupation means that it has a deep dislike of occupying forces. "

My favorite line, in the entire article. Other than the collaborators in a country that can profit by supporting the invaders--who in their right mind WOULD like an occupying force? rotflmao.

Note to Americans: stop thinking of ourselves as heros or bringers of Democracy in Iraq. We are invaders. Invaders are strangers that go into any country uninvited and create chaos and mayhem and kill lots of people and destroy lots of land. Know that Democracy imposed is not democracy it is a sham. Know that there can be no democracy under an occupation as the local government cannot perform the will of their own citizens but must do what the occupiers want--and know--people really don't like people who invade and kill them. Human nature. Look at America--we don't even like people who invade and just take our jobs--just think how we would feel about them if they invaded and killed us then occupied our country. LOL

[vet_sk]

So, okay. Let's get out. Then impeach all those responsible so the world knows that we are starting anew.
It is simple. The longer we stay, the more problems we cause.

[dallison7]

Question: Why did Bush/Cheney lie about WMD?
Republican: Well, uhh... Clinton got a BJ!!!

Question: Where is Bin Laden?
Republican: Bill Clinton lost him.

Question: Should Gonzales resign?
Republican: Clinton should have resigned.

Question: Why did we invade Iraq?
Republican: Uhh, Monica... uhh... Bill...

[tuckerndfw]

In 1991, after the "Gulf War," Daddy Bush refused to order the invasion of Iraq for these same reasons.

Obviously, like many rebellious spoiled brats, his junior was too stupid to follow his father's good example.

No one knowledgable of the Middle East or history seriously believed that invading Iraq would lead to anything other than the disaster it has become.

And, it will remain a disaster so long as hostile foreign troops are occupying Iraqi soil.

George Bush is the worst president in US history. Without exception.

And, we do not need a multi-million dollar investigation to make that determination. His own actions and words speak for themselves.

George Bush should be on trial for conspiracy to commit murder and war crimes. Along with everyone else involved in PNAC's crime syndicate.

[iceman_1960]

"hindsight = 20-20"
- Posted by ralan40 at 12:06 AM : May 24, 2007

That's the last line of defense for Dubya's incompetence.

Hear the words of Dubya's father, George H. W. Bush, spoken on February 28, 1999, to veterans of the first Gulf War:

"Had we gone into Baghdad -- We could have done it. You guys could have done it. You could have been there in 48 hours. And then what? Which sergeant, which private, whose life would be at stake in perhaps a fruitless hunt in an urban guerrilla war to find the most secure dictator in the world? Whose life would be on my hands as the commander-in-chief because I, unilaterally, went beyond the international law, went beyond the stated mission, and said we're going to show our macho? We're going into Baghdad. We're going to be an occupying power -- America in an Arab land -- with no allies on our side. It would have been disastrous."

You can cherry-pick that quote and quibble about details, but essentially the elder Bush foresaw what a mess his son's reckless invasion of Iraq has been.

That isn't hindsight. It's the foresight any competent president is expected to have.

Period.

[neoconrcrazy]

Neocons Rummie, Wolfie, Feith (with cheney too) lost Iraq and the ME when they:

1- ordered de-baathization
2- ordered disbanding the iraqi army thereby forcing 50-100'000 soldiers (with weapons) underground

sunni were most hit by these decrees which were the work of Wolfowitz and Feith, both holocaust extremists, who treated iraq as if it were nazi germany.

BIG MISTAKE - ALOT OF DEAD PEOPLE BECAUSE OF IT

[m_stender]

T_barr - you're are more right than you know.

Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du9QWpCWbbY

(A video where investigative reporter Greg Palast - along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proving that the Republican Party still uses caging lists, and even has the indecency to challenge voters, because they are in - you guessed it: Iraq!

That's also why Gonzales fired the DA's - they wouldn't procecute the so-called 'voter-fraud' as there was none. They only persons guilty of fraud is Rove and his former right-hand man, Tim Griffith - yes the guy who NOW got one of the DA jobs).

And Roves missing emails? Here's some of them:
http://2004.georgewbush.org/deadletteroffice/headers.asp

Best
Martin

[m_stender]

T_barr - you're are more right than you know.

Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du9QWpCWbbY

(A video where investigative reporter Greg Palast - along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., proving that the Republican Party still uses caging lists, and even has the indecency to challenge voters, because they are in - you guessed it: Iraq!

That's also why Gonzales fired the DA's - they wouldn't procecute the so-called 'voter-fraud' as there was none. They only persons guilty of fraud is Rove and his former right-hand man, Tim Griffith - yes the guy who NOW got one of the DA jobs).

And Roves missing emails? Here's some of them:
http://2004.georgewbush.org/deadletteroffice/headers.asp

Best
Martin

[patriotic9]

It is not the failure of Bush but it's the failure of CHRISTIANITY and BIBLE from which Bush used to interpret all his plans.

What do JOHN HAGEE and PET ROBERTSON say about the current Iraq situation and how many more soldiers' lives we need to sacrifice for the 2nd coming of Christ.

After the falsehood of CHRISTIANITY been exposed as a result of Iraq war,should we continue supporting the NON-AMERICAN GOD CHOSEN ENEMIES OF THE GOD'S ONLY SON on the cost of the GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN LIVES and protect the NON-AMERICAN HOLY LAND by sacrifising UNHOLY UNITED STATES?

[bluestardad]

HAVE WE MET THE REPUBLICAN SOLDIER DEATH QUOTA YET? THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE CAME UP WITH THIS SURGE PLAN DRAG THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES OUT TO IMPLEMENT IT!

Here are Senators from Military states that support Everything Bush has done to keep our troops in this Civil War in Iraq! 101st Airborne Kentucky, 82nd Airborne North Carolina, Fort Benning Georgia Home of Airborne, Texas, Armor Capitol of America, Fort Sill Oklahoma home of the Field Artillery !

McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: dole.senate.gov/index.cfm



Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?

Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA)
416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm


Cornyn, John- (R - TX)
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: cornyn.senate.gov/contact/index.html

Inhofe, James M.- (R - OK)
453 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
[phone]
Web Form: inhofe.senate.gov/contactus.htm




If you think Americas sacrifice is worth it contact your ELECTED OFFICIAL and tell them http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

[patriotic9]

It is not the failure of Bush but it's the failure of CHRISTIANITY and BIBLE from which Bush used to interpret all his plans.

What do JOHN HAGEE and PET ROBERTSON say about the current Iraq situation and how many more soldiers' lives we need to sacrifice for the 2nd coming of Christ.

After the falsehood of CHRISTIANITY been exposed as a result of Iraq war,should we continue supporting the NON-AMERICAN GOD CHOSEN ENEMIES OF THE GOD'S ONLY SON on the cost of the GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN LIVES and protect the NON-AMERICAN HOLY LAND by sacrifising UNHOLY UNITED STATES?
Posted by patriotic9 at 06:35 AM : May 24, 2007

[rafterman1]

===No one knowledgable of the Middle East or history seriously believed that invading Iraq would lead to anything other than the disaster it has become.===

Righties aren't big on the idea of consequences to our actions.

[the74blaster]

It is not the failure of Bush but it's the failure of CHRISTIANITY and BIBLE from which Bush used to interpret all his plans.

Interesting point of view.

However, with any document it is the readers responsibility to correctly interpret what is being stated and to make the correct decision if leading others. The facts that should have been considered prior to invading Iraq are simple.

1. Is our military properly trained to combat gorilla warfare in hostile region where most of the people oppose us?
2. Is the estimated costs of the operation going to be offset by a realistic-tangible return to the taxpayers?
3. Is the justification for the operation sound and will it hold up to critical review by political leaders?

The answers for all 3 questions is a resounding no. As a practicing engineer I can assure you that my bosses would never let me proceed on project with this level of risk.

Essentually Bush is irresponsible and his employment with the government should be terminated. His actions with Iraq would clearly support this decision, that is if the democrats would ever get off their collective...butts and do something about it.

[gkc99]

So how does the True Believer/Decider respond when he has made a mistake? He makes another, bigger mistake along the same lines!

"Born-agains" (evangelical Xtians) believe the end of the world is just around the corner, when only Xtians (of their particular group that is) will be saved and everyone else will die a tortured death. As a born-again Xto-fascist, Bushit has no fears about Nuclear Winter. He welcomes Nuclear Winter, as it will be the vindication of his cult's beliefs.

Thus the "military exercises" off the coast of Iran. Hope yer fallout shelter is well-stocked!

[antoniof123]

Here it is the Repbulican party is lock step and is forcing Nancy and Harry to fund the troops becasue they care. Yes, they do have some other things in the bill you know like help katrina victims. Of course the Republcians want to say it is for bridges to no where, oh wait that was their bridge.

Do they think that we are stupid I hope so because if they think the wave was big in 06 wait till they see the wave in 08.

20 Republican Senators up for re-election I wonder how many more will survie in the next election. I know one that will not my home state. He is getting a little nervous now in fact he was crying to the President that he was hurting the party.

[forthepeopl1]

also get it in all blogs across the internet

EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO HELP WITH THIS SHOULD BE TALKING TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS AND TELLING THEM THAT AMERICANS ARE READY TO TAKE WASHINGTON ON AND ITS NOT A FEW AMERICANS ITMILLIONS OF AMERICANS THAT WILL TAKE BACK THERE COUNTRY..

I AM WILLING TO GIVE MY BLOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK TO WHAT OUR FORFATHERS WANTED.

AM A VET AND AM READY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THIS AMERICAN BOYCOT/COOP IF WE THE PEOPLE DONT DO THIS NOW WE WILL BE GIVENING UP ON OUR CONSTITUTION AND WHAT ALL OUR VET HAVE DIED FOR..

DAVID A BELANGER,VET US ARMY,[e-mail]

ok so wants to join in on this great american REVOLUTION


they cant kill millions of americans at once so if we charge them all at once we will win and take them out and hang them all..

just like in the old days of the west...hang them from the trees in front of the whitehouse and see how many start telling the truth about what they have done to all us americans..


if the american NOW dont stand up and start a NATIONAL REVOUTION ON THIS WASHINGTON BULL S/H/I/T/ THEN we as TRUE AMERICANS can say nothing!!!

its time to take all this *** and take our government back now..

they are the ones that started this and we will finnish it now..we the people will take our country back and everyone in washington can sit there and thinks we the people are ok with what they are doing..go ahead and let them think that we are comming to take them out

[ralphj53]

May 24, 2007

Hello;

I used to be a proponent of a U.S. pullout of IRAQ... now, I'm having second thoughts. What if the U.S. pullout happens:

1. All of IRAQ could turn out to be the biggest TRAINING CAMP for AL CAEDA ever. It could make Afganistan.. before 9-11... look like a picnic.

2. We keep thinking of IRAN coming in to secularize the government of Al Maliki. This is NOT going to happen. They are more worried about ISRAEL than IRAQ.

3. Al Caeda is preparing to take over IRAQ... just as soon as we leave. They intend to use IRAQ as a STAGING area for terrorism around the world.

4. And then..... we will have to go back in... to do this all over again, that is... fighting terrorism.

5. The people of IRAQ have no backbone to fight this enemy. Just like Vietnam. It's always easier to lay back and take it in the you know what.

My view.

rjm

[forthepeopl1]

also get it in all blogs across the internet

EVERYONE THAT WANTS TO HELP WITH THIS SHOULD BE TALKING TO ALL MEDIA OUTLETS AND TELLING THEM THAT AMERICANS ARE READY TO TAKE WASHINGTON ON AND ITS NOT A FEW AMERICANS ITMILLIONS OF AMERICANS THAT WILL TAKE BACK THERE COUNTRY..

I AM WILLING TO GIVE MY BLOOD FOR ALL AMERICANS TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK TO WHAT OUR FORFATHERS WANTED.

AM A VET AND AM READY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THIS AMERICAN BOYCOT/COOP IF WE THE PEOPLE DONT DO THIS NOW WE WILL BE GIVENING UP ON OUR CONSTITUTION AND WHAT ALL OUR VET HAVE DIED FOR..

DAVID A BELANGER,VET US ARMY,[e-mail]

ok so wants to join in on this great american REVOLUTION


they cant kill millions of americans at once so if we charge them all at once we will win and take them out and hang them all..

just like in the old days of the west...hang them from the trees in front of the whitehouse and see how many start telling the truth about what they have done to all us americans..


if the american NOW dont stand up and start a NATIONAL REVOUTION ON THIS WASHINGTON BULL S/H/I/T/ THEN we as TRUE AMERICANS can say nothing!!!

its time to take all this *** and take our government back now..

they are the ones that started this and we will finnish it now..we the people will take our country back and everyone in washington can sit there and thinks we the people are ok with what they are doing..go ahead and let them think that we are comming to take them out

[sjc_1]

Colin Powell said "you break it, you own it". Agencies have said that the war in Iraq is creating MORE terrorism. Every day, more see reason to go to war with the Great Satin.

We should have never invaded Iraq. It was an illegal invasion, not sanctioned by the U.N. and condemned by most of the world.

Now that we are there, we have to make sure that it turns out right. This administration does not have a clue how to do that.

As the President said before the invasion "we are not in the nation building business". I guess we have shown that we are in the nation destroying business.

[realpatriot1]

It's interesting to note that all the predictions about Iraq came true. What did not happen was a global surge in attacks against American interests.They did pull off the London & Madrid & Bali & Saudi & Algerian bombings. However, the terrorists have been largely twarted in the overall global sense and have not been able to pull off large numbers of attacks as predicted.

That could be because even though we have few allies in the war in Iraq we have many more in the overall war on terror and Iraq has not led to as great a radicalization in the Muslim world as feared . Non-Muslim & Muslim nations alike are threatened by Al Quaeda and we would do better to put all of our time and resources into cooperative efforts with our natural allies to defend our legitimate interests and to win the hearts and minds of the civilized world.

We need to isolate Al Quaeda in the Muslim world as much as possible and we would have even greater success if we took a more moral high road because the desire for peace is strong where the terrorists would most like it to be weakened.

Iraq is a costly diversion from that.

[toolmangler-2009]

Let them talk, The CIA/NSC/FBI group is sending Roves emails over there already so apparently they don't care if they know.