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I didn't see a thread on this in a cursory look at the first page
Not a surprising conclusion I guess but it largely guts Bush's contention that he is lessening the risk at home by fighting terror in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A classified intelligence report concludes that the Iraq war has worsened the terrorist threat to the United States, U.S. officials told CNN Sunday.
Some intelligence officials have said as much in the past, but the newly revealed document is the first formal report on global trends in terrorism by the National Intelligence Estimate, which is put out by the National Intelligence Council.
As Democrats seized on the report to support their position on the war, violence Sunday left at least nine Iraqis and two U.S. Marines dead at the start of the holy month of Ramadan. (Watch what Republicans and Democrats think of the leaked report -- 1:31)
And raising doubts whether the Iraqis can maintain order once a security operation in Baghdad concludes, The Associated Press reported Sunday that some U.S. soldiers working in Shiite neighborhoods say the Iraqi troops are among the worst they've ever seen. (Full story)
The White House Sunday said a New York Times report on the National Intelligence Estimate document "is not representative of the complete document."
Beyond that, the White House said it does not comment on classified documents.
Citing officials familiar with the report, The New York Times said the document "attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee."
Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, in a written statement Sunday, warned that any news report that includes "only a small handful of those judgments distorts the broad strategic framework the NIE is assessing -- in this case, trends in global terrorism."
Intelligence officials told CNN the report, completed five months ago, said the war and the insurgency are the main recruiting vehicles for new Islamic extremists.
The extremists communicate through various Islamic Web sites and share an ideology with al Qaeda, the officials said.
The document has not been shared with senators because it is classified, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, told ABC's "This Week."
McCain not surprised
Sen. John McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation" that, while he knows nothing about the report, it would not be surprising if the Iraq war was a rallying point for terrorists.
"Frankly, it doesn't astound me that we would get an intelligence report that if we're not succeeding as well as we had hoped that that would encourage the enemy," the Arizona Republican said.
Frist and McCain stressed the importance of the Iraq war, with McCain describing progress there as "two steps forward, one step back."
"I would argue that we need to prevail in Iraq and that, if we fail, then our problems will be much more complicated," McCain said.
Sen. Arlen Specter said he was "very concerned about the intelligence report" and that the war is "the focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism."
"That's a problem that nobody seems to have an answer to," the Pennsylvania Republican said on CNN's "Late Edition."
Democrats on Sunday cited the report to support their calls for a change of course in Iraq -- and their bid to pick up congressional seats in November's midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called The New York Times report "further proof that the war in Iraq is making it harder for America to fight and win the war on terror."
"President Bush should read the intelligence carefully before giving another misleading speech about progress in the war on terrorism," the California representative said.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, blamed the Bush administration for its "stay-the-course approach to the Iraq war."
"The Bush administration has known since receiving this report more than four months ago that its claims that the war in Iraq was making the American people safer were not true," the Illinois Democrat said.
Former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said the report "provides jarring confirmation that the disastrous policy in Iraq is a giant recruiting poster for terrorists and it is weakening our hand in the war on terror."
9 Iraqis, 2 U.S. Marines killed Sunday
In Iraq Sunday, a car bomb targeting an Iraqi police patrol exploded near the Baghdad Health Ministry, killing four Iraqis -- including three officers -- and wounding seven more, Iraqi emergency police said.
A second car bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol exploded in Baghdad's northern, mainly Sunni, neighborhood of Adhamiya. The blast killed two soldiers and wounded a civilian and a soldier, police said.
In the northern Iraq city of Tal Afar, two soldiers were killed when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives at an army checkpoint, local police officials said.
One Iraqi civilian was killed and 14 others wounded -- including three police officers -- when a car bomb targeting a police patrol exploded near Karrada in eastern Baghdad, police said.
Two U.S. Marines were killed Sunday as a result of insurgent action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the U.S. military said.
With the deaths, 2,690 U.S. military personnel have been killed in the Iraq war, as well as seven American civilian contractors of the military.
Sunday was the first day Shiite Muslims began observing the holy month of Ramadan, when they fast from dusk to dawn. Sunnis began their fasting Saturday.
The U.S. military has warned that a surge of violence could coincide with the holiday. Ramadan lasts until October 23.
On Saturday, an explosion ripped through crowds of shoppers stocking up for the holiday, killing at least 34 of them, Baghdad police said.
At least 29 others were injured in the blast that ignited a fuel tanker as people were buying supplies in Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum and Shiite stronghold.
CNN's Kelli Arena and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.
Some intelligence officials have said as much in the past, but the newly revealed document is the first formal report on global trends in terrorism by the National Intelligence Estimate, which is put out by the National Intelligence Council.
As Democrats seized on the report to support their position on the war, violence Sunday left at least nine Iraqis and two U.S. Marines dead at the start of the holy month of Ramadan. (Watch what Republicans and Democrats think of the leaked report -- 1:31)
And raising doubts whether the Iraqis can maintain order once a security operation in Baghdad concludes, The Associated Press reported Sunday that some U.S. soldiers working in Shiite neighborhoods say the Iraqi troops are among the worst they've ever seen. (Full story)
The White House Sunday said a New York Times report on the National Intelligence Estimate document "is not representative of the complete document."
Beyond that, the White House said it does not comment on classified documents.
Citing officials familiar with the report, The New York Times said the document "attributes a more direct role to the Iraq war in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee."
Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, in a written statement Sunday, warned that any news report that includes "only a small handful of those judgments distorts the broad strategic framework the NIE is assessing -- in this case, trends in global terrorism."
Intelligence officials told CNN the report, completed five months ago, said the war and the insurgency are the main recruiting vehicles for new Islamic extremists.
The extremists communicate through various Islamic Web sites and share an ideology with al Qaeda, the officials said.
The document has not been shared with senators because it is classified, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, told ABC's "This Week."
McCain not surprised
Sen. John McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation" that, while he knows nothing about the report, it would not be surprising if the Iraq war was a rallying point for terrorists.
"Frankly, it doesn't astound me that we would get an intelligence report that if we're not succeeding as well as we had hoped that that would encourage the enemy," the Arizona Republican said.
Frist and McCain stressed the importance of the Iraq war, with McCain describing progress there as "two steps forward, one step back."
"I would argue that we need to prevail in Iraq and that, if we fail, then our problems will be much more complicated," McCain said.
Sen. Arlen Specter said he was "very concerned about the intelligence report" and that the war is "the focal point for inspiring more radical Islam fundamentalism."
"That's a problem that nobody seems to have an answer to," the Pennsylvania Republican said on CNN's "Late Edition."
Democrats on Sunday cited the report to support their calls for a change of course in Iraq -- and their bid to pick up congressional seats in November's midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called The New York Times report "further proof that the war in Iraq is making it harder for America to fight and win the war on terror."
"President Bush should read the intelligence carefully before giving another misleading speech about progress in the war on terrorism," the California representative said.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, blamed the Bush administration for its "stay-the-course approach to the Iraq war."
"The Bush administration has known since receiving this report more than four months ago that its claims that the war in Iraq was making the American people safer were not true," the Illinois Democrat said.
Former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said the report "provides jarring confirmation that the disastrous policy in Iraq is a giant recruiting poster for terrorists and it is weakening our hand in the war on terror."
9 Iraqis, 2 U.S. Marines killed Sunday
In Iraq Sunday, a car bomb targeting an Iraqi police patrol exploded near the Baghdad Health Ministry, killing four Iraqis -- including three officers -- and wounding seven more, Iraqi emergency police said.
A second car bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol exploded in Baghdad's northern, mainly Sunni, neighborhood of Adhamiya. The blast killed two soldiers and wounded a civilian and a soldier, police said.
In the northern Iraq city of Tal Afar, two soldiers were killed when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives at an army checkpoint, local police officials said.
One Iraqi civilian was killed and 14 others wounded -- including three police officers -- when a car bomb targeting a police patrol exploded near Karrada in eastern Baghdad, police said.
Two U.S. Marines were killed Sunday as a result of insurgent action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, the U.S. military said.
With the deaths, 2,690 U.S. military personnel have been killed in the Iraq war, as well as seven American civilian contractors of the military.
Sunday was the first day Shiite Muslims began observing the holy month of Ramadan, when they fast from dusk to dawn. Sunnis began their fasting Saturday.
The U.S. military has warned that a surge of violence could coincide with the holiday. Ramadan lasts until October 23.
On Saturday, an explosion ripped through crowds of shoppers stocking up for the holiday, killing at least 34 of them, Baghdad police said.
At least 29 others were injured in the blast that ignited a fuel tanker as people were buying supplies in Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum and Shiite stronghold.
CNN's Kelli Arena and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.
A few troops, a few cruise missles, a little gas, and some seltzer sprayed down their pants. 
)
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