President George W. Bush has for some time been telling the American people that Iraq is the central front in his war against terrorism. Bush makes this claim as if it is self-evident, an item of Republican faith that cannot be questioned.
Now, anti-terrorism experts are indeed questioning Bush’s claim. In fact, the top anti-terrorism analyst in the government says that Bush is just plain wrong.
Edward Gistaro is the national intelligence officer for transnational threats, and in his testimony before two committees in the House of Representatives yesterday, he directly contradicted the assertion by President Bush that Iraq is the central front in the struggle against terrorism. According to Gistaro, it is Afghanistan and Pakistan where the primary terrorist threat comes from, not Iraq. In spite of the years-long war led by the United States in Afghanistan and supposed cooperation from the Pakistani government, Gistaro says that areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan are a “comfort zone” for Al Quaeda.
Considering that one of the primary goals of the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan was to make sure Afghanistan was no longer a safe haven for terrorists, it seems clear now that the war there has failed. The Republicans have offered incompetent military and diplomatic leadership for years now. Gistaro’s testimony gives good reason for Americans to consider an alternative approach, and elect a progressive President in 2008.
(Source: Boston Globe, July 26, 2007)
