I think that's that true. To say we're creating terrorists is really disgusting.

My argument about iraq has always been that it was a secondary target in the war on terror and while I support the war, it seems ever more likely that it did take some of our attentions away from places like Iran and Saudi Arabia who were the #1 and #2 financiers and sources of terror before 9/11 and they remain so today, (with even more cash too).

In some ways, I feel like this is WWII and the U.S. has invaded Italy to dethrone Mussolini and left it at that. I realize the analogy is not dead-on, but this is how it feels. (Of course, Mussolini needn't to be deposed almost as much as Saddam).

If I am wrong about Iraq detracting from these targets, then I would argue that I am surely right that our inability or non-desire to shore up the oil situation has greatly helped those who support terror to fund it even more in the last few years. I'm not sure who to blame for this, but it's clear we have to stop propping up these monsters with the hard-earned money of American consumers.

So no, the war in Iraq has not increased terror, and if we achieve some kind of success there going forward we will have a major terror-fighting weapon, but it is sad for someone like me to see that it remains our number 1 focus when the bigger fish keep getting bigger.

Jake:

One of the lesser known pieces of information from the NIE report that the Democrats chose not to highlight is how our war in Iraq radically changed the way the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan changed. Before Iraq, they did not cooperate with the US intel services. After Iraq, they got really scared and they did about major about-face and now share intel on a regular basis. This is vital and a major step forward for America.

I'm no fan of Saudi Arabia, but I also live in the real world and the US has to go about subverting the Saudis in much "softer" ways. Ditto for that basket case called Pakistan.

Iraq is not a side-show, it's the fulcrum of the mid-east, and stands at the crossroads of the international terrorist network. Just look at any map and you will see that Iraq borders the major terrorist states. It's a no-brainer that Iraq had to be taken out. The only argument is "how."

No. I agree Iraq was and is a legitimate target, but I just have to hold on to a healthy dose of sketicism when it comes to how we're dealing with S.A. and Iran. After Israel's intelligence fiasco vis a vis Hezbullah this summer, my faith in "covert/subtle" techniques is fading fast. I'm not saying we need a full-scale invasion, but we do need to send a bigger message that someone like me is not smart enough to come up with on his own, but there must be someone who does.

I also think the latest conventional wisdom that the Democrats have a mid-term winner in the iraq issue or in the bob woodward book is totally wrong. Democrats will almost always lose when the issue is foreign policy, no matter how badly the GOP is perceived to be running it. If the Dems want to win, they need to pound minimum wage, healthcare, and illegal immigration. But of course they won't. In sum, I don't expect much turnover in Congress this year... maybe a couple of pickups for the Dems, but not much.

Jake:

Hindsight is wonderful. But Iran was not looming huge on our radar at the time of 9-11 and our liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran has only recently been moving to the center of the world's terrorist stage--and they will be dealt with. You know, America recently sold Israel jet fighters than can refuel in mid-flight. There is a reason that sale was made at this time.

Oh yeah, let the Dems pound away at minimum wage, healtch care, and the open borders most of them really want--that sounds like a winning platform.

They will pound away with their one message: Bush is bad.

Now that's a real winner.

With regard to the idea of the existence of Israel creating Arab hatred, there's a terrific video available at yeshiva world, in which Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak has a confrontation (at a speech in Monsey NY) with a Neturei Karta guy (one of the actual individuals who have appeared in rallies with the Pals). Rabbi Yitzchak is personally quite critical of the Zionistic project, but he absolutely blasts this guy and the entire NK idea. It's a very good watch, but you have to be able to follow spoken Hebrew. Here's the link to the yeshivaworld entry:

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=3063#comments

Kishke:

Thnaks so much for the link. Gosh, I wish the NK would just... disappear.