Good News on Iraq
 

At least there is some good news on Iraq:


http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/1....redzwzyd.html

Rupert. That is indeed good news.
I've been searching for the number of Al Queada in Iraq at this point in time.
The numbers vary, so I'm not claiming to know the exact numbers nor the percentage of the "insurgency" they represent. Most that I can find is that Al Queada is between 3% and 5% of the resistance. If you find accurate estimates, please provide a link.
As far as numbers, and again I have information from a high of 10,000 to 1,300, your guess might be as good as mine.
At this point, Al Queada seems to be a small part of what is currently going on in Iraq. There seem to be over 25 malitias, both Shia and Sunni. They represent the bulk of the conflict, that many define as a "civil war".
Others that want to "spin" it differently focus on Al Queada.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/wo...in&oref=slogin

Here's a link that gives a bit of background on Al Queada in Iraq (scroll down).
Yes, they have alliances with the Sunnis, but so do the Saudis and the Pakistanis. The lines are a little blurry to me, as they also have alliances with the Kurds.
I'm not sure that "lumping" all Sunnis with Al Queada is accurate. If that is what Bush is saying, and I'm not sure that he is, perhaps there's a need for more clarity on which groups represent the "enemy combatants" and the forces of the "insurgency".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Qaeda