>I could hardly be accused of being a Bush supporter and yet I still believe there is a connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. Tenuous though some of the connections may be, I think most of these terrorist organizations/states are linked and share funding/arms/"soldiers"/training camps/safe houses.

I hear what you are saying, but Iraq was a secular totalitarian state. Not an easy environment for religious fundamentalists or terrorists groups to operate. Most likey there are far more active Al Queda in the US, Canada, France, UK...

>Through years of inaction, we've allowed these groups to become too powerful and not surprisingly, they've become bolder (even before 9/11... USS Cole, Twin Towers '93 among others) and since the rest of the world doesn't seem too keen on taking them down -- excepting sanctions and resolutions and strong language and maybe dirty looks? -- it looks like the action falls to us (again).

I completely disagree. When it came time to take out Afghanistan, the world was there to back the US with deadly force and many of us are still there. Iraq was totally different. Outside of the propaganda bubble of the Bush Adminstration, the case against Iraq as presented was dubious. This is why most of the G8 did not participate.