This "al Qaeda/Iraq" rhetoric needs to stop. al Qaeda doesn't have a prayer in Iraq. They represent a very small portion of the insurgency, and Iraqis overwhelmingly don't support them. Al Qaeda was not linked to Saddam prior to 2003 and their presence in Iraq is relatively small and is found distasteful to the vast majority of Iraqis. If we left tomorrow, al Qaeda would not take over.

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Although the Bush administration continues to emphasize the role of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Maples described the current situation as "mostly an intra-Arab struggle to determine how power and authority will be distributed," with or without the U.S. presence. Al-Qaeda and foreign terrorist numbers were put at roughly 1,300, while Hayden, pressed by senators, estimated the number of insurgents in the "low tens of thousands." Maples estimated the number of Iraqi insurgents, including militias, at 20,000 to 30,000, and said there are many more who supply support.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...111601509.html

According the the Iraq al Qaeda leader, he has an army of 12,000 al Qaeda fighters.

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cf...aeda111106.htm

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"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill

Our Generals and analysts or al Qaeda?

I'll admit, 1300 is roughly 1300 more al Qaeda fighters than they had before we invaded.

Like so many of the Repugnacans who post on this site, Al Qaeda in Iraq are dead-enders.

I dont know about the statistics or what not. But when I was over there as an MP I dealt with plenty of people that were Al Qaeda. So those of you who say they arent over there are just being partisan and you know it.

However the majority of the people who we had captured or who surrendered were former Republican Guard, or misguided individuals who considered themselves "freedom fighters"

In regards to the al qaeda over there and their relationship with the Iraqi's. Yeah your right most Iraqi's dont like or trust them. However there are more and more that are buying into what they are saying.

Now you are proud of how many terrorists this war has created?

I dont give a (*)(*)(*)(*) how many Al-Queda are over there and what exactly their role is.

The fact is, they ARE there and they DO have a role. Does that mean they are the primary reason for us being there? Of course not, but that doesnt mean they dont play an important role none the less. The simple fact is, there is a huge mesh of terrorists, from all different affiliations & backgrounds, mixed up with locals who are either pissed off at us or are former Saddam loyalists, and they are all combining their efforts to wage a war against us.

WTF does it really matter what percentage is who or what? They are all teamed up or fighting for the same goal: to get us out of Iraq before the Iraqi govt & security forces are ready to take care of themselves so that they can in turn take over or have a dramatic effect that will result ina militant muslim state.

Now I dont personaly keep track of every (*)(*)(*)(*) word Bush or any other republican says, but I am quite certain that neither the president nor any major GOP personal have ever claimed that Al Queda is the sole or primary or even most significant source of resistance & terrorism in Iraq. What they have all claimed, either directly or indirectly is that all these folks who are stirring things up are doing so for the same basic reason.

So, cut it any way ya want or label it however you see fit, either way its the good guys vs the bad guys. And yeah, I actually DO believe that we are the good guys, even if some of you dont.

More terrorists created means more fear to spread for Dubya. It helped him win re-election in 2004 but it's beginning to backfire.

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See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.

- G.W. Bush, 10/3/2003

Just curious, do you think the stock market creates stock brokers? or is it the love or desire for money that makes them?

Maybe some terrorists have been inspired to take up arms due to the war, but they certainly had to have an internal hatred for America and the west already there for them to actually believe in doing it.

What causes normal people to develop such a hatred? Illegally invading a defenseless nation that leads to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and a long foreign occupation might cause one to hate. While many terrorists already existed before the invasion, the war certainly handed al Qaeda leadership a huge gift by boosting their recruitment power more than any of their own propaganda could hope to. We also ridded them of Saddam, a despised secular leader among the Islamic extremist crowd, which has opened up doors of opportunity for their cause. Iraq was a distraction and a detriment to the War on Terror.

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See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.

- G.W. Bush, 10/3/2003