National Review's Andy McCarthy has yet another piece attempting to explain why we must stay in Iraq from now until, well... forever? Short version: al Qaeda and its "Iranian enablers" are "making a menacing stand in Iraq."
Anonymous Liberal provides the perfect response:
Now let's put aside for a second the fact there is no compelling evidence at all that al Qaeda and Iran are somehow working together to thwart our efforts in Iraq. In fact, let's just assume McCarthy's right. If he's right, it means that these two groups, which under normal circumstances would hate each other, are working together to cause harm to American interests. Isn't that a pretty compelling argument for leaving? I mean, generally speaking, it's not a good idea to pursue a strategy that causes would-be enemies to unify against you...The only reason al Qaeda is thriving in Iraq is because it has allied itself with other groups, mainly Sunni nationalists and baathists who have a common goal: ending the American occupation. To the extent these groups have tolerated the presence of foreign nutjob jihadists in their midst, it's because they perceive themselves to be fighting a common enemy. Take that enemy away and al Qaeda has no natural constituency in Iraq.
In other words, al Qaeda is in Iraq because we are. So it makes very little sense to argue that al Qaeda's presence in Iraq is the reason we have to stay. That's like turning on your porch light and claiming that it needs to stay on until all the moths are gone.
Its really amazing to me how few people seem to understand the phenomenon that is at work here. If the Iranians truly are supporting al Qaeda in Iraq, it is only because they share a common enemy: us. Remember - Iran provided extensive logistical support for our attacks on Afghanistan because they too wanted to see al Qaeda and the Taliban destroyed. But now, just five years later, we're supposed to believe that they are best friends for life? Really?
The "enemy of my enemy" phenomenon is as old as history itself. Study the history of the Middle East in any detail and you'll see it played out over and over in painful detail. Tribal leaders make alliances, and then tribal leaders break alliances. It has happened before. When we leave, it will happen again. This should not be that difficult to understand.
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