Al Qaeda's Top Recruiter? George W. Bush

We can debate endlessly about which candidate will benefit, or suffer, from the recent bin Laden video. But we can be certain of who gets credit for the vast increase in terrorist attacks worldwide. Before the US invasion of Iraq, there was little or no connection between Iraq and the Islamic terror network. Think about it: Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups hate all secular governments. Saddam Hussein’s government was secular. Iraqis are Moslems, but their government, unlike those of Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, does not force Islamic beliefs or customs on the population. Conclusion: no connection between Saddam Hussein and any Islamic terrorist group.

Yes, Hussein was a bloodthirsty tyrant who tortured and murdered anyone even suspected of disagreeing with him. Yes, he gassed his own people – during the 1980s when Iraq was our ally against Iran. But secular governments and Islamic terrorists do not make plots together. That’s as absurd as thinking the NAACP and the Ku Klux Klan are working together on a conspiracy.

Our own government has propped up right-wing dictators (in Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador, the list goes on and on) who would probably surpass Saddam Hussein on the brutality scale.

An estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the US invasion. Each of these Iraqis undoubtedly left behind many bereaved relatives and friends. Let’s say a million or more Iraqi citizens have lost a loved one during the US-Iraq war. Try to imagine the grief and fury these people are going through. Two years ago, if one of these people met a recruiter from Al Qaeda, he’d probably tell him to *#$%#** off. Today, that same person might tell an Al Qaeda recruiter “where do I sign? When can I start?”

Membership in Al Qaeda and similar terrorist groups has probably tripled in the last 2 years (just guessing). Iraq is now, of course, a hotbed of Islamic terrorism. A self-fulfilling prophecy has been brought about by Bush’s invasion. Every time another Iraqi is killed, a new Al Qaeda member is recruited; and where is this newly fired-up anti-American terrorist likely to go? Iraq!

If any Al Qaeda offices have a plaque on the wall naming the “Recruiter of the Year” or “Employee of the Quarter,” the name on that plaque is probably George W. Bush.