NYT editorial: Bush diverted U.S. to Iraq, allowing Al Qaeda to get "back in business"

[DeepModem Mom]

Editorial
Al Qaeda Resurgent
Published: February 25, 2007

Almost five and a half years ago, America — united by the shock of 9/11 — understood exactly what it needed to do. It had to find, thwart and take down the command structure of Al Qaeda, which was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 innocent people on American soil. Despite years of costly warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, America today is not significantly closer to that essential goal.

At a crucial moment, the Bush administration diverted America’s military strength, political attention and foreign aid dollars from a necessary, winnable war in Afghanistan to an unnecessary, and by now unwinnable, war in Iraq. Al Qaeda took full advantage of these blunders to survive and rebuild. Now it seems to be back in business.

As our colleagues Mark Mazzetti and David Rohde reported last week, American intelligence and counterterrorism officials believe that Al Qaeda has rebuilt its notorious training camps, this time in Pakistan’s loosely governed tribal regions near the Afghan border. Camp graduates are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq — and may well be plotting new terrorist strikes in the West.

The same officials point to more frequent and more current videos as evidence that Al Qaeda’s top leaders, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri — once on the run for their lives and unable to maintain timely communications with their followers — now feel more secure. Al Qaeda is not as strong as it was when its Taliban allies ruled Afghanistan. But, the officials warn, it is getting there....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/opinion/25sun1.html

[grasswire]

1. thanks, MSM, for your part in this tragic diversion (eom)

[Kagemusha]

2. Ah? What? Er, excuse me?

I thought Iraq was the diversion from going after Al Qaeda all this time, now you're telling me Al Qaeda is itself a diversion of no importance? Ah, do I have this right?

Not like it has anything to do with Iran granted but, this is not computing, except in a contrarian sense.

[CJCRANE]

3. I think grasswire means the diversion to Iraq

(is what the MSM helped support).

[Kagemusha]

5. Ah ok!

Came off weird to me in that context. I stand corrected and clarified.

[CJCRANE]

4. This was OBVIOUS years ago.

The fact that the neocons left the Taliban and al-Qaeda til last in the campaign and let Bin Laden skip over the border to our "ally" Pakistan then left Karzai in the lurch with a fraction of the troops and funds promised was a bit of a giveaway.

[marmar]

6. By design....

BushCo and Al-Qaeda need each other like peanut butter needs jelly.