The Missing Links

It's ironic that at the same press conference where President Bush flatly acknowledged that there was no link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11, he was putting forth -- largely unchallenged -- a new and equally specious linkage between Iraq and terror.

Bush's new assertion -- and it is apparently going to be his central message in the run-up to the November elections -- is that pulling out of Iraq would embolden terrorists and lead them to strike here again.

It's a politically potent message, that's for sure. But the more you know about what's really going on in Iraq, the less sense it makes.

Most of the violence in Iraq today has little if anything to do with al-Qaeda or the global jihad; it involves rival Muslim sects killing each other and, all too often, American troops caught in the middle.

National security experts overwhelmingly see Iraq not as a killing zone for terrorists, but as an incubator -- both because the occupation arouses anti-American sentiment among many Muslims and because the current lawless violence makes for a perfect training ground in terror tactics.

Indeed, there's a powerful argument to be made that leaving Iraq would make the American public safer. It certainly would put an end to the horrible daily toll on Americans in uniform.

There were some tough questions at yesterday's press conference, and there was some skepticism and context in the coverage. But by and large, it was Mission Accomplished for the president. He got his message out.

American Psyche-Out

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The part of the press conference that got the most media pick-up was Bush's discussion of his personal emotions, and his assertion that the war has strained the American psyche.

Asked if he personally was frustrated about the war, Bush replied: "Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. This is -- but war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times, and they're difficult times, and they're straining the psyche of our country. I understand that. You know, nobody likes to see innocent people die. Nobody wants to turn on their TV on a daily basis and see havoc wrought by terrorists."

It was a curious and captivating answer, and the attention it got is understandable. But as far as I can tell not one journalist pointed out the striking falsehood at its heart: Americans are most certainly not seeing havoc wrought by terrorist on a daily basis on their televisions.

The violence in Iraq is almost entirely taking place off camera. When was the last time you saw a dead or grievously wounded American soldier on TV? And if Americans were actually seeing what's going on now, it would be mostly havoc wrought by feuding Muslims -- not terrorists.

That part of Bush's answer makes me wonder how much else of what he said isn't true either.