ISG co-chair Hamilton: "We think chief violence today is sectarian, not al Qaeda."

[sabra]

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/

<snip>

COOPER: How much of this insurgency right now is motivated by al Qaeda? President Bush seemed to be indicating that al Qaeda is behind most of the violence. There are criminal gangs, there are, as you talk about in the report, death squads, nationalist insurgents....

HAMILTON: We think chief violence today is sectarian, not al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is present, al Qaeda is part of the violence, particularly in certain areas, but it is not the chief source of violence today. There are a number of different sources of violence, including just plain old criminality. Al Qaeda is a factor, but not the chief source. The American casualties are coming from the sectarian violence largely.

[Ignacio Upton]

1. But Al Qaida (Zarqawi) got the ball rolling

Without Zarqawi's bullshit (which Bin Laden and Zawahiri actually dispproved of in many cases) then I don't think Iraq would be in a civil war (although it would still be edging towards it...just at a slower rate that could be stopped.)

[central scrutinizer]

2. Why does this guy hate America so much?

Questioning our god-anointed leader and his judgment is not only unpatriotic, but is heresy.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. try informing the boy who would be king. fat chance he'll listen.

not when there is brush to clear, a bike to ride, and condi to ogle.