"The Big Picture" (at least at the beginning of this War on Terror) was the capture of Osama Bin Laden and the destruction of Al-Qaeda. Now, it's devolved into an undeniable mess which has no resolution in sight.

How did the U.S. go from having support across the globe after 9-11 to having scant support now? Simple... we lost our focus. For some reason, we were led to believe that Saddam Hussein and Iraq had "something to do" with 9-11. "Something" but not quite sure of what. First, we were told that there was "this connection," then we were told Iraq had mountains of Weapons of Mass Destruction, then we were told that Iraq was Sector One for Al-Qaeda.

I can almost understand drawing Al-Qaeda into Iraq to engage them in a centralized location but why wasn't the American public at least hinted on this in the beginning of the Iraq invasion? It would've made this conflict easier to digest knowing that THE enemy, Al-Qaeda, was really there. Well, they are there now... along with every other militant, extremist, and insurgent in the Middle East.

Not only have we strayed from "The Big Picture" but now the U.S. finds itself in a quagmire over what to do with Iraq since it doesn't appear likely that we will achieve full victory anytime soon. More troops didn't help quell the insurgency, we just gave them more time to plan more attacks.

See how I've strayed away from The Big Picture here? It's called a distraction and that is exactly what Iraq has become, in a minimalist sort of way, anyway. The U.S. should still be utilizing it's resources in tracking down the "Head of the Snake" (Bin Laden) and squashing the entire Al-Qaeda network. Instead, we are playing referee in a region that really has not known peace for thousands of years and never will. It is not too late to change course and get back to viewing "The Big Picture" but in doing so, we are lighting the fuse, so to speak, for an all-out confrontation between all the rival factions in Iraq and leaving Iran salivating at the thought of a destabilized Iraq.

Learn more about this author, Michael Fernandez.
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