We're watching a coordinated effort on the part of the White House to prevent Congress and the American people from making any changes in Iraq policy.
From Chertoff's "gut feelings" to the pronouncement of select military in country, the drive is on to prevent Congress from altering the White House's Iraq policy. And, of course, you'll have noticed the drumbeat of references to "Al Qaeda in Iraq" which even New York Times editors are now questioning.
This morning, in the Washington Post, Sudarsan Raghavan reports:
U.S. military officials on Wednesday said they expected the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq to "lash out and stage spectacular attacks" and fuel sectarian violence in response to an ongoing U.S. offensive north of Baghdad.
Calling al-Qaeda in Iraq "the principal threat" to Iraqis, Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, the chief U.S. military spokesman, said the group was the main focus of the U.S. security campaign. Like other U.S. officials in recent weeks, Bergner stressed that al-Qaeda in Iraq is supported by the organization led by Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, an assertion that intelligence analysts have disputed.
"Al-Qaeda senior leadership does provide direction to al-Qaeda in Iraq," Bergner told reporters. "They do establish and provide resourcing and support the network," he added, noting that Zawahiri recently released a video seeking international recruits for the war in Iraq.
In another report in the Washington Post, Bob Woodward reports that behind the scenes the administration hsa been getting much more pessimistic intelligence reports than have been given to the American public.
So the White House is pulling out all the stops in an effort to override the demands of a vast majority of Americans who want out of Iraq and who are no longer affected by administration lies.
Lies? Oh sure. Raghavan points out how intelligence reports run counter to White House claims.
Analysts and intelligence officials say that al-Qaeda in Iraq is just one of many Sunni and Shiite organizations fighting for power and against the U.S. occupation, and that al-Qaeda in Iraq is smaller than many other insurgent groups. The analysts say that bin Laden's organization provides more inspiration than direction to Sunni fighters in Iraq.
Where Al Qaeda is making itself felt is in its old stamping ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan. While Bush is maintaining a tenacious hold on a failing policy in Iraq, the reality of failure in Afghanistan is much more dangerous to the US. Bush is using an exhausted American military effort in Iraq to bolster his political position even as he cripples our military's ability to respond to the growing power of the real Al Qaeda.
