As far as Al Qaeda and Islam go Jihad is as much a part of Islamic ideology as it is that of Al Qaeda.  In fact, Jihad goes hand in hand with Islam it is analogous to one of the Ten Commandments for Christians.  Too often that is forgotten in the debate about the current wars.  Here is a good treatment of the way in which America's leadership have attempted to separate Jihad from Islam, it is an opinion piece: [url url=http://C:Userspatrick.shrierAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Outlook7KKCQX59The Impact of Islam on Free Speech in America  The Brussels Journal.htm]The Impact of Islam on Free Speech in America[/url]However, my contention that Iraq was a mistake stands.  It has been a huge strategic distraction that has cost us the ability to successfully prosecute the war in Afghanistan.  It is obvious that America has to do the heavy lifiting in any type of combat.  The Europeans are certainly not going to except for the Dutch, Canadians, and British.  There may have been ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq, we will probably never know.  But I still maintain that Iraq was contained, and with minimal effort.