THE BUSH JOBS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM

From the Washinton Post via the Trib:

Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of "professionalized" terrorists, according to a report released Thursday by the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank.

Iraq provides terrorists "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills," said David Low, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats.

It seems that Bush's invasion of Iraq has given Islamic terrorists the chance to develop the high-tech skills they will need to compete in the 21st century.

"There is even, under the best scenario, over time, the likelihood that some of the jihadists who are not killed there will, in a sense, go home, wherever home is, and will therefore disperse to various other countries."

You know what they say: Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to create improvised explosive devices...

But let us not dwell on that, let's remember the reason we invaded Iraq in the first place -- to bring peace and stability to the Middle East:

President Bush has frequently described the Iraq war as an integral part of U.S. efforts to combat terrorism. But the council's report suggests the conflict has also helped terrorists by creating a haven for them in the chaos of war.

All right, so the invasion hasn't stabilized Mesopotamia, much less the rest of the Middle East. That wasn't the real reason for the invasion anyway.

The real reason was because of Saddam's close ties to Al Qaeda:

Before the U.S. invasion, the CIA said Saddam Hussein had only circumstantial ties with several Al Qaeda members. Osama bin Laden rejected the idea of forming an alliance with Hussein and viewed him as an enemy of the jihadist movement because the Iraqi leader rejected radical Islamic ideals and ran a secular regime.

Okay, so there weren't strong ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda. But remember we didn't invade Iraq of Al Qaeda.

We invaded Iraq because Saddam had massive stockpiles of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons...

or programs?

or "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities"? hmmm ...

Well, say what you will about the merits of the various justifications proceeding the invasion, we can all agree that the Bush administration has really come into its own in post-invasion Iraq:

[A]s instability in Iraq grew after the toppling of Hussein, and resentment toward the United States intensified in the Muslim world, foreign militants flooded into Iraq across its unguarded borders. They found tons of unprotected weapons caches that military officials say are being used against U.S. troops.

"Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean," Bush said Thursday.

Not just words, Mr. President, not just words.

(emphasis added)