"I hope you are able to find your way onto Party and rake in some extra bucks in between your deployments."

Thanks, and I do [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

"I don't necessarily agree with your opinion about this war, but I respect where you are coming from and I want to become better informed. My primary objection to the war in Iraq is that I fear that the presence of American troops in the Middle East is recruiting as many or more terrorists than you and other brave soldiers are killing and capturing. This is based on reading different sources regarding what is going on down there, as you are right that I obviously don't know anything first hand."

I think there is some merit to what you say. I think our presence clearly outrages the fundementalists, encourages the Arabs who crave democracy, and make most Arab leaders uncomfortable.

"Maybe you could help answer some questions for me. To what extent is the "insurgency" in Iraq made up of Arab terrorists who were already plotting against the U.S. before the war in Iraq? How many of them are disgruntled Sunnis?"

Now, more of the former rather than the later. I think the insurgency would've run its course by now if it hadn't been for the foriegn fighters. The vast majority of all casualties today are caused by non-Iraqi's.

"How good is our intelligence finding terrorists? We have been told that we have eliminated many of the members of al Qaeda who had leadership roles in 2001, and it looks like we have made a good deal of progress disrupting the organizational capacity of al Qaeda. In my opinion, this has been our best achievement in the "War on Terror." But is al Qaeda filling these holes with new recruits? Are other terrorist organizations being created with similar goals against America?"

Our Int is good, gets better over time and so does the terrorists ability to counter it. It is a constantly evolving spectrum. As we take out members, the gaps get filled by less experienced players for the most part. Much of our success has been through improved cooperation between the military and other government organizations and those organizations between each other. Hopefully, that can continue.

"I too find the threat of terrorism to be very serious and worth fighting. I am just skeptical that we are on the right course to minimize the prospect of another major attack. I think we are blessed that we have not been attacked since 2001, but I am concerned that it seems like there are even more Arab terrorists with designs on killing many Americans."

In many ways we are fighting this war with one hand tied behind our backs. We have broadened our rules somewhat but we still fight by a set of rules, which is a good thing. Our enemy have no rules which makes it difficult for us. For Example, studies show that torture is a bad method for gaining true, valuable information. Sleep deprivation is a very good tool, which is not allowed to its fullest extent.
On your second point, I think there is some merit to the thinking that fighting abroad is reducing the risk at home. I have no way to prove that but it seems to be the case.

"Anyway, I'd love hearing more about what you have experienced, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. (I'd especially be interested in how similar or different you think the enemy is in these two locations.) You definitely have an insight that the rest of us don't, and it would be great if you could share it with us."

Similar and different in many, many ways.