“United States military commanders say foreign fighters are being actively recruited by loyalists to Saddam Hussein to join the resistance against American forces in Iraq, posing a new challenge to efforts to stabilize the country.” NY Times Several comments. First of all, this is predictable spin from an administration that wants to cast Iraq as part of a global terrorist conspiracy against us and is turning its sights to Syria, Iran and other demonized Islamic regimes. And, furthermore, it is an argument that clings to the pitiful fiction that we have ‘liberated’ the country and that, left to its own sentiments without the influence of ‘Baathist’ and “fundamentalist’ agitators, the Iraqis would be fawning all over their country’s liberators rather than killing them at an average rate of one American soldier a day NY Times.

Secondly, why in the world would we be surprised that our actions in Iraq recruited legions to the global fight against the American infidels or that they have failed to cease hostilities with the fall of Baghdad? Given that they had no loyalty to Saddam per se in the first place? Shouldn’t an effective American occupation have anticipated the need to close the porous boundaries if (as Maj. Gen. William Webster, deputy commander of the allied land command, is quoted as saying in a recent interview) “you have got Baath Party and regime loyalists west and northeast of the city who are calling buddies in foreign countries and getting fighters to come across the border” ?