Tell it to Al Qaeda

Some variation of this post's headline is the proper response when somebody says that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror. "Tell that to Al Qaeda," or "tell that to the terrorists" or "the Islamists." Take your pick. But those are the proper responses.

The story linked above has Bin Laden calling for a boycott and blessing Zarqawi as his representative in Iraq. Just the latest example of how important Iraq is to the Islamists.

If the war in Iraq is a distraction from the war on terror, why are the terrorists fighting us so hard there? The answer ought be pretty obvious. They know Iraq is a major front in what we call the Global War on Terror and what they refer to as their Jihad. If we complete our victory there we will have eliminated two state sponsors of terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. And in the process we will have shown that there is a democratic alternative to Islamist and secular totalitarianism in the Muslim world. And most important, that we are committed to making the alternative happen. A fact that ought to matter to people seeking democracy in the region.

-tdr