Think Tank Calls Iraq A "Disastrous Mistake"

The Bush administration is trying to paint Iran as fueling terrorist activity. But the Oxford Research Group (ORG), a British think tank, paints a very different picture.

The group said the US invasion of Iraq was a "disastrous mistake", and has established a "most valued jihadist combat training zone" for al Qaeda. They claim the War on Terror is not only failing, but is fueling an increase in support for Islamist extremists.

The think tank recommends that all foreign troops be immediately withdrawn from Iraq, and intensive diplomatic negotiations be held in the area -- including talks with Syria and Iran.

ORG says, "If the al Qaeda movement is to be countered, then the roots of its support must be understood and systematically undercut. Combined with conventional policing and security measures, al Qaeda can be contained and minimized but this will require a change in policy at every level."

They went on to say it would still take "at least 10 years to make up for the mistakes made since 9/11". This shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the actions of the Bush administration. Bush took a terrorist attack and used it to invade a country that had nothing to do with the attack. In doing so, he upset an entire region and created thousands of new terrorists. This process is still going on.

Instead of making the world a safer place, he has made it much more dangerous for everyone. Now he is trying to further beat the drums of war for an attack on Iran, which would make the situation even worse.

In addition, he has denied basic legal rights to those he has apprehended. This has caused even our friends to lose respect for us, and convinced our enemies that they were right all along.

Bush must be stopped. It is time for Democrats to step up and do the job they were elected to do -- withdraw our troops and set the war on terrorism on the right path.