FICTION: President Bush Implies Al-Qaeda is Main Cause of Violence and Instability in Iraq:

“So on my orders, good men and women are now fighting the terrorists on the front lines in Iraq.” [President Bush, 7/12/07]

“It [escalation] is focused on applying sustained military pressure to root out terrorist networks in Baghdad and surrounding areas.” [President Bush, 7/12/07]

FACT: Pentagon Says Bulk of Violence is Sectarian. “It [DOD Quarterly Report] attributes the bulk of the violence to ‘sectarian friction’ that reaches deep into Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government and security forces.” [Washington Post, 6/14/07]

FACT: Intelligence and Military Say Sectarian Violence Makes up Vast Majority of Violence, is Responsible for Insecurity. “U.S. intelligence agencies and military commanders say the Sunni-Shiite conflict is the greatest source of violence and insecurity in Iraq. ‘Extremists — most notably the Sunni jihadist group al Qaida in Iraq and Shia oppositionist Jaysh al-Mahdi — continue to act as very effective accelerators for what has become a self-sustaining struggle between Shia and Sunnis,’ the National Intelligence Council wrote in the unclassified key judgments of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq published in January.” [McClatchy, 6/28/07]

….Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda Gaining Strength, Has Sanctuary on Afghanistan-Pakistan Border. “Six years after the Bush administration declared war on al-Qaeda, the terrorist network is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks, according to a new Bush administration intelligence report to be discussed today at a White House meeting.” [Washington Post, 7/11/07]

….And National Intelligence Director McConnell Says Al Qaeda in Afghanistan/Pakistan is Much More Likely to Plan Next Attack on U.S. Than Terrorists in Iraq:

Senator Jack Reed: “Well, the question would be: If you had to establish a probability of a successful attack being organized and directed against the United States, would it emanate from Pakistan, with this newly revised Al Qaida leadership, or would it come out of Iraq?”

National Intelligence Director McConnell: “My belief is the attack most likely would be planned and come out of the leadership in Pakistan.” [Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, 2/27/07]