Homeland Security Advisor: U.S. Fighting a "Single Determined Enemy"

Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend briefed reporters today on the unclassified findings of the new intelligence estimates (transcript here). But she danced around questions about whether the war in Iraq has strenthened Al Qaida, instead arguing how Sept. 11 and Iraq is part of a "single conflict."

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*TOWNSEND: Well, there's no question -- I mean, I think there's a tendency to try and suggest that Al Qaida core and Al Qaida in Iraq are two separate things. Let's step back for a minute because I think that is not accurate. *

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*Clearly, what we know is the Al Qaida that attacked us on the September 11th was an Al Qaida that is led by Osama bin Laden and caused the killing of 3,000 Americans. That same Al Qaida headed by bin Laden is the same Al Qaida that Zarqawi, when he becomes the emir of Al Qaida in Iraq, swears by loyalty to. So it's the same organization. *

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*This isn't a question of diverting. *

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*We also know from intelligence -- and the president referenced this when he gave the speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement -- we also know that bin Laden communicates to Zarqawi to create a cell inside Iraq that'll be used to plan and plot attacks against the American homeland. *

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*TOWNSEND: And by the way, that wasn't just a one-off; because we also know that they tried to move Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi from Afghanistan to Iraq. *

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*These aren't separate conflicts. These are clearly a single conflict by a single determined enemy who is looking for a safe haven. And if they don't have safe haven in Afghanistan, they look for safe haven someplace else. They'd like to find it -- and bin Laden's been quite clear -- they'd like to find it in Iraq. But if they don't find it in Iraq, they're going to look for some place else, whether that's northern Mali, in the Maghreb, or that's Somalia in West Africa. *

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*QUESTION: So a Senate intelligence report, in May, came out, saying the president was warned before the war in Iraq that if you go in and invade Iraq, you're going to give Al Qaida more opportunities to expand its influence. *

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*Now you were just laying out, a moment ago, how bin Laden was talking to al-Zarqawi, trying to expand his influence in Iraq after the war began. *

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*And now, you're also saying today this report clearly says that Al Qaida is going to try to take advantage of the gains it's made in Iraq to strike the U.S. homeland. *

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*So doesn't this report show that the war in Iraq has made America less safe? *

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*TOWNSEND: Well, let's -- as long as we're going to talk about what the NIE says about Iraq, let me quote it directly. *

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*TOWNSEND: "We assess that Al Qaida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of Al Qaida in Iraq, its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the homeland." *

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*It's not talking about gains in Iraq. What it's talking about is capabilities in Iraq. *

When asked directly about the now debunked link between Iraq and 9/11, Townsend gave herself an out, saying: "This is ground long covered..."

ALSO:
* Iraq: Who's the Enemy, Really?
* Intelligence Estimate: Snoozeville
* Reading Between the Intel Estimate's Lines
* New Intelligence Estimate Warns of Threat to U.S.