The Iraq conflict has become the cause celebre for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves,
and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

http://www.odni.gov/press_releases/Declassified_NIE_Key_Judgments.pdf

Afghanistan is coming up on the rails.

Sad to say, but this is *exactly* the kind of outcome bin Laden said that he wanted '01/'02 - drawing the USA into a conflict it couldn't win, and driven out just as the Soviets were driven out in Afghanistan.

Pity nobody pointed this out before the Iraq war.

>Pity nobody pointed this out before the Iraq war.
People did, but their voices were drowned out by the right wing noise machine.

I figured Colm was being sarcastic ...

Whatever happens, bin Laden claims to have been right. It doesn't even matter anymore.

What a giant pathetic victim though. Saying it's all the Americans' fault when, you know, he himself could have prevented at least part of the violence in Iraq. But he didn't. Pussy bully.

I figured Colm was just ignorant of the facts, his usual MO.

>I figured Colm was just ignorant of the facts, his usual MO.

Which facts in particular?

The loss of Afghanistan will be aided by the loss of Pakistan:
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2006/09/taking_out_mush.html

I expect Musharraf's regime to collapse soon, and when it does, there will be no one for Armitage to threaten to bomb back into the stone age.