The AP has a story today by Charles J. Hanley, AP Special Correspondent, on the propensity of the U.S. military of naming every insurgent group in Iraq as "Al Qaeda" or "Al Qaeda-type." We hear the same thing in the daily spin from the White House, where Mr. Bush tries to falsely claim that Al Qaeda in Iraq dominates and controls the insurgency against the U.S. occupation.
"Nine out of 10 times, when it names a foe it faces, the U.S. military names the group called al-Qaida in Iraq. President Bush says Iraq may become an al-Qaida base to "launch new attacks on America."
"The U.S. ambassador here suggested this week al-Qaida might "assume real power" in Iraq if U.S. forces withdraw.
"Critics say this is overblown, and possibly a diversion.
"Such speculation is unrealistic," Amer Hassan al-Fayadh, Baghdad University political science dean, said of the U.S. statements."
Of course, this attempt to label all insurgent groups as Al Qaeda is total nonsense. There must be more than 10 different groups in Iraq fighting the U.S. and the U.S.-backed Al Maliki government. See my post on June 7, 2007, reporting that Juan Cole recognizes at least eight different wars now going on in Iraq. And yes, it is clear why the Bush people love to talk about Al Qaeda in Iraq, so that Americans will believe that this illegal and unjust war should continue.
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