Al Qaeda is down in Iraq but not yet out.
So it would be smart to expect the jihadis to try for a spectacular strike either to kill large numbers of civilians or to hit an American military force and inflict heavy casualties.
The blow would be militarily pointless against the tide of defeats the jihadis are enduring, but such a blow would boost jihadi morale badly in need of a success and could give heart to the forces in our Congress who persist in trying to lose the Iraq war:
The Democratic-led House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, defying President George W. Bush by tying the measure to $50 billion in new war funds.
Of course, it is a pointless legislative blow by Pelosi and her allies since Congress passed the regular defense budget and allowed the President to use that money for ongoing operations. So even if this bill is passed by the Senate too and the president vetoes it, the war will not be starved of funds for many months.
I don't know why anyone would call our Congressional leaders wimps. They sure are tenacious in pursuing their goal of scuttling victory in Iraq. Hopefully, this is just an exercise in boosting nutroots morale badly in need of a success.
Still, it is fascinating how the two forces need each other. Al Qaeda is on the ropes in Iraq and needs an outside force like Congress to save them. And Congress is on the ropes in the face of our growing victory in Iraq and needs something that looks like a defeat in Iraq to give them a real chance to cut off funds for the war and lose it once and for all.
Then they can each go on to fighting for their real objectives--the caliphate and the White House.
