Wow Kerry took the Florida primary!

[kandrathe]

UNTANGLING THE TERROR WEB -- Testimony by Matthew A. Levitt, Senior Fellow in Terrorism Studies, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 22, 2003 -- Before US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Of particular interest are the links described to Zarqawi. "In addition, a key Zarqawi deputy called Foley's assassins on a satellite phone to congratulate them while he was driving out of Iraq toward Turkey, a mistake that led to his capture and confirmation that an al-Qaeda cell was operating out of Iraq."

Pete, I mirror your sentiment about terrorism and crime. This paragraph in particular resonated with me, and I would guess also with you.

Indeed, similarly unrealistic litmus tests are applied to the war on terrorism itself. Too often people talk about winning the war on terrorism, defeating al-Qaeda, or ending terrorism. Let me be the bearer of bad news: that will not happen. One cannot defeat terrorism. Terrorism, prostitution, drugs -- there are certain infamous business ventures that have always been around and will be around for quite some time. Counterterrorism, therefore, is not about defeating terrorism, it is about constricting the operating environment -- making it harder for terrorists to do what they want to do at every level, such as conducting operations, procuring and transferring false documents, ferrying fugitives from one place to another, and financing, raising, and laundering funds. We need to make it more difficult for terrorists to conduct their operational, logistical and financial activities. We need to deny then the freedom of movement to conduct these activities. In fact, one can so constrict a terrorist group’s operating environment that it will eventually suffocate. In its day the Abu Nidal organization was the al-Qaeda of its time, and it no longer exists. A time will come when the primary international terrorist threat will no longer be posed by al-Qaeda, but by then there will be other groups.

Also, in reference to your opinion on the fall of Baghdad;

These seeds of a pluralistic society in Iraq are now being uprooted - even as coalition forces try to plant them - by swarms of radicals from across the Muslim world who enter Iraq primarily from Syria and Iran but also from Saudi Arabia, to take advantage of Iraq's newfound status as a failing state. Iraq has now become a magnet drawing Baathists, Sunni terrorists, Shia radicals and others opposed to the development of a peaceful, pluralistic society in Iraq, much like Afghanistan, Somalia, parts of Yemen, Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, Chechnya and other undergoverned territories.

Since it is shown that Iraq was an accomplice to terrorism under Saddam, is it possible that if stabilization of a new government and security can be made in Iraq that the new government might be better than the old one? Certainly it would seem all the above states who enable terrorists to enter Iraq have alot to lose if Iraq becomes an open democratic Islamic society, ala Turkey.

Human Right Watch Report on Ansar al-Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan
This was the site of a week long struggle between Green Beret + irregular forces in northern Iraq during the war. The facilities were reduced to rubble by the US airforce.
UK Guardian - US Special Forces take fight to fundamentalist terror group

There was a raid last night by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. What they raided was a training camp near Samanpak (sp). And you can see the explosion along on the map near Samanpak (sp). This raid occurred in response to information that had been gained by coalition forces from some foreign fighters we encountered from other countries, not Iraq. And we believe that this camp had been used to train these foreign fighters in terror tactics. It is now destroyed.

GlobalSecurity.org on Centcom briefing April 6th 2003
GlobalSecurity.org on the Facility at Salman Pak