IRAQ IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

Even Al Qaeda has given up on the prospect of success in Iraq. Now the only conflicts to be settled in that beleaguered country are among contending internal forces positioning for power in the new nation. That alone may keep their politics unsettled well into the foreseeable future but one truth cannot be denied: the American War in Iraq is a done deal. Insurgents and foreign fighters have been defeated. It is a war that is rapidly fading in the rear view mirror of history.

That does not preclude additional major incidents of violence or future attempts to resurrect open warfare. The difference going forward, however, will be the role of the Iraqi government and their national military and police forces. As the presence of American and other coalition troops diminishes, the Iraqis will be in charge of their own security. That is as it should be.

Regardless of opinions about being involved there in the first place, what needs to be evaluated at this point is the outcome to date and the promise for the future. In that vein, consider the following:

1. By invading Iraq, America went on the offensive in the war against terrorism. Iraq became, from the perspective of both our side and the Al Qaeda side, the central front in the war against terrorism. After initial success, it went badly for us until the surge but it turned around thereafter. Al Qaeda was defeated and dispatched. Going on the offensive became a part of the formula that has protected the homeland since 9-11. In that regard, the offensive strategy worked.

2. Literally tens of thousands of jihad terrorists have met their deaths during the conflict in Iraq. Given the extreme devotion of jihadists to their 'destroy America' cause and their willingness to kill anyone and everyone in the process, there is no choice other than that they be eliminated. Incarceration is not a practical or doable option. Until they back down and retire to lives of peace and co-existence, they must be destroyed before they destroy us.

3. Iraqis have a democratically elected government. The people of Iraq now have control of their own destiny. Considering the turbulent history of that nation, this is a spectacular accomplishment.

4. The rogue state of Iran, an historic enemy of Iraq and an aggressive totalitarian force working to destabilize the region, must now deal with a democratic Iraq on their border. As Iraq becomes a stronger state, it will pose challenges to the Iranian attempts at hegemony. As a future ally of the United States, Iraq will be home to an American military presence just a stones throw away from the heart of Iran.

5. A stable democracy in the middle east has long been considered an impossibility. Should Iraq continue to succeed as it most likely will, the government there will stand as a beacon to others in that part of the world that self-government is, in fact, a practical reality. People now under the thumb of theocratic and dictatorial governments will observe the model of Iraq and want to gain the same opportunities for themselves. In the long term, that can prospectively lead to the stabilization of the most turbulent region on earth.

6. Each of the previous five points accrues to the interest of and the security of the United States. Over time it could make the world a much safer place for our people, our society, our allies and democratic self-government. That is the most important outcome of all.

Most certainly we have paid a high price in treasure and, far more significantly, the lives of thousands of our brave fellow citizens. Yet over the sweep of our history, that has been our tradition relative to the defense of democracy. This war has been painful in the extreme but we have prevailed. The sacrifice has not been in vain.

Notably, President-Elect Barack Obama cut his political teeth in the national spotlight by being opposed to this war while a member of the Illinois legislature. He campaigned for president extensively based upon the foundation of his opposition to the Iraq conflict. He has promoted early withdrawal and promised, as President, to immediately remove our troops from Iraq (only to send them to Afghanistan).

The reality on the ground is that he will not be doing immediate withdrawal. The schedule to remove troops has already been set. Surge troops have already been removed. The wind down of the war has made what had once been Obama's number one issue, moot. Our military has the light at the end of that tunnel clearly in sight.

As things currently stand, our intervention in Iraq is paying dividends now and will continue to do so over time.


CIA Chief: Bin Laden Alive, Worried About 'Own Security'
Hayden Says U.S. Disrupted Plot That Would Have Rivaled 9/11
By JASON RYAN and BRIAN ROSS

Osama bin Laden is alive and "putting a lot of energy into his own security," the director of the CIA, General Michael Hayden, said today.

He also claimed, without providing details, that the US intelligence community had disrupted an attack "that would have rivaled the destruction of 9/11." A senior intelligence official said Hayden was referring to the 2006 liquid bomb on airliners plot that was foiled in London.

"American and its friends have taken the fight to the enemy," Gen. Hayden said in a broad roundup of efforts to fight al Qaeda.

"Al Qaeda has suffered serious setbacks, but it is a determined, adaptive enemy unlike any our nation has ever faced," he said.

Without directly referring to the CIA's offensive blitz of unmanned missile attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the CIA boss said the US had successfully isolated the al Qaeda leader bin Laden, referring to him in the present tense.

"He appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he leads," Hayden said in a speech delivered to the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Hayden said the failure to kill or capture bin Laden in the seven years since the 9/11 attacks, could be explained by the "rugged and inaccessible" terrain of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and "the fact that bin Laden has worked to avoid detection."

The CIA director provided no other details but it was the first public indication of the intelligence agency's growing effort to narrow the focus of the search for bin Laden and other top terror leaders.

President-elect Barack Obama has not yet decided whether he will ask Hayden to stay on as director. Several of Obama's top advisers feel that while Hayden did a good job stabilizing morale and performance at the CIA following the debacle of the Iraq War, his connections to warrant less surveillance and so-called torture techniques make him unacceptable as the continuing director of the CIA.

"The truth is, we simply don't know what would happen if bin Laden is killed or captured, but I'm willing to bet that it would work in our favor," Hayden said.

Hayden said the deaths of at least six top al Qaeda commanders in Pakistan had kept the terror group "off balance."

Hayden said he wanted to give the incoming administration "as clear a picture as possible of the state of the conflict and the shape of the enemy."

He claimed al Qaeda in Iraq "is on the verge of strategic defeat." But he said the "bleed-out" of al Qaeda veterans from Iraq is now a growing concern.

"Iraq veterans also have been involved in planning attacks in Europe and the United States," Gen. Hayden said.

The good news of success in Iraq against al Qaeda was measured against the terror group's alarming growth in North and East Africa and Yemen, he said in his remarks.

Hayden also took a question about his political future as the head of the agency in an Obama administration after his speech to the Atlantic Council. Hayden said, "I'll let Adm. McConnell, speak for himself&we serve at the pleasure of the President&This is a decision for the President&If asked to stay I would strongly consider it."

Hayden also said, "The DNI is the top intelligence advisor to the President, so there has to be a personal relationship."

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