Myths

Item from Salon magazine today: The myth that has come down from many supporters of the WAR that "we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here" is taking a battering. Tom Grieve reports to day,

"As the New York Times reports this morning, a "new generation" of al-Qaida leaders has "emerged" under the control of Osama bin Laden, which has led to "surprise and dismay within United States intelligence agencies about the group's ability to rebound from" America's post-9/11 offensive.
What does that have to do with the war in Iraq? Well, not much, except for this:
"Experts ... believe the fighting in Iraq will produce future Qaeda leaders," the Times reports. Robert Richer, a former associate director of operations for the CIA, puts this fine point on the matter: "The jihadis returning from Iraq are far more capable than the mujahedeen who fought the Soviets ever were. They have been fighting the best military in the world, with the best technology and tactics."
Translation: We're fighting them in Iraq so that we can fight them again somewhere else.

The discouraging thing, as always, is finding out that we are spending almost a trillion dollars, giving competent government a bad name, losing our credibility as a nation, all in the name of supporting policies based on myths and radical belief systems. Let this be a lesson to us for a long time. Politics is important, but America is more important. In the coming Presidential election marathon, let's try and identify those leaders who are strong AND compassionate, intelligent AND politically savvy, pragmatic AND idealistic. Above all, let's find those candidates who show real leadership qualities and a willingness to make our government work WELL, for ALL of us.