"All of this is most interesting when placed alongside the other big news of last week, the National Intelligence Estimate’s assessment that the Iraq war is a “cause celebre” among Islamic extremists and a great recruiting tool for them. The NIE’s less-trumpeted conclusion was that Iraq only works for the jihadis if the jihadis are perceived to be winning in Iraq. Even before the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the U.S. military was reporting that al-Qaeda in Iraq was severely compromised. But if you don’t trust the U.S. military, you don’t have to take the military’s word for it. You can listen to Al-Qaeda’s own propaganda and the United Nations."