Update: McCain Selects Gov. Sarah Palin as Running Mate

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by saden1

Now you're just bring a water pistol to a gun fight. Give it up on Al-Qaeda and Iran b.s. [B]It's a well know fact that Al-Qaeda had no presence in Iraq before the war and we're the only reason they continue to be there. Iraq is nothing more than Al-Qaeda recruiting tool.

1. "Al-Qeada in Iraq", the movement Schneed identified, is not bin-laden's "Al-Qeada". Rather it is a pre-existing Sunni extremist group that declared its allegiance to bin-laden after a new Iraqi govt. was established. By all accounts, this group has steadily lost credibility and recruits since the surge.

Originally Posted by saden1

The gift that keeps giving. Every collateral damage results in a fresh recruit. Iraqis can deal with them and probably more effectively than we ever can.

True earlier in the war. Again, however, every report out of Iraq lately is that the pendulum has swung and the populous is now viewing the extremists as just that and it is their intransigence and commitment to violence that is driving the populous away.

At some point, people realize that the extremists have no solution but violence and see that the cycle of violence can only be broken(and thus the collateral damage stop) by coming up with non-violent solutions. The US and the Iraqi govt. are open to non-violent solutions, AQI is not. As the US shows that it is not opposed to peace and prosperity for Iraqis (and, in fact, is actually striving for that end), Iraqis and other Arabs see that and realize who is actually causing the violence.

Been out drinking and hanging out in the sun all day so this post probably makes no sense. Just pointing out that the Al-queada connection implied by Saden was wrong. Flame away.