AQ planned to hit the US from Iraq

According to an ABC News story, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) planned (or is planning) an attack on the US using 20 operatives;

Mimicking the hijackers who executed the Sept. 11 attacks, insurgents reportedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq considered using student visas to slip terrorists into the United States to orchestrate a new attack on American soil.

 

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago “revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S.”

That’s no real surprise to rational people, of course. Personally, I’m more surprised that there hasn’t been a successful attack in the last five years. But what got me, in the story, there is a poll in the middle of the story that asks

Related: Is Iraq’s Sucess Tied to Our Safety?

So just for chuckles, I decided to take the poll. The possible answers were;

Yes. Without a peaceful resolution in Iraq, more terrorists will find their way to U.S. shores.

No. Iraq never had any connection to the real enemy

No. Even if U.S. troops pull out, our homeland is an ocean away and will still be safe.

Now, I’m pretty sure that ABC’s audience is fairly center Left. At the time I took the poll, nearly 3/4 voted “Yes”, which seems reasonable, but the fact that 1/4 of the voters would vote “No” kinda has me worried. The larger portion of the “no” voters voted for the first “no” answer – despite the fact that the poll link is in the middle of the story about AQI attempting to attack the US.  The 116 voters who voted for the last selection must be in the hills of South Dakota or somewhere remote enough to not be aware that there are these new-fangled flying machines that cross our oceans in hours these days.

But I know people like that – people who might surprise you if I told you their background. They actually believe that if we pulled out of Iraq, aQ’s hatred for westerners would dissipate and they’d ignore us. Educated people, worldly people. I guess ignorance is indeed bliss.

Category: Terror War