Liberal critics of Iraq logically concede their own defeat.

After reading the last debate, it becomes apparent that Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) simply robs those afflicted of the ability to critically reason.

How many Democrats intoned the knowing lie that al Qaeda, or its affiliates and allies were not operating from or obtaining haven in Iraq before the US invasion-almost every single D in the Senate? Aside from the absurdly false factual nature of the statement itself, the only logical conclusion arising therefrom is the centrality of Iraq to the larger War on Terror.

If the global terror movement did not have a home in Iraq before the Coalition invasion then why are they there now? We did not make them come, nor did any Iraqi government or we invite them.

The global terrorists came to Iraq to seek victory over the United States and the forces of modernity and moderation in the world. The terrorists’ own words abundantly prove the point, as cited by Joe Lieberman, the DEMOCRAT Vice residential candidate in 2000 during the recent Senate debate.

I wish to take a moment to read some comments, direct quotes, from leaders of al-Qaida that make this clear. I am not making it up. I am not quoting somebody in the administration.

December 2004. Osama bin Laden. "I now address my speech to the whole of the Islamic nation. Listen and understand. The most important and serious issue today for the whole world is this Third World war. It is raging in the lands of the two rivers--Iraq. The world's millstone and pillar is Baghdad, the capital of the caliphate."

July 2005, Ayman al-Zawahiri, second to bin Laden, as we know, in al-Qaida. A letter to Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, the head of Iraq, subsequently killed by coalition forces. Quote from Zawahiri to Zarqawi: " I want to be the first to congratulate you for what God has blessed you with in terms of fighting a battle in the heart of the Islamic world, what is now the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era."

Zawahiri, in that same letter: "The Mujahadeen must not have their mission end with the expulsion of the Americans from Iraq. No, the first stage is to expel the Americans from Iraq; the second stage is to establish an Islamic authority, or emirate, over as much of the territory as you can, to spread its power in Iraq."

And then there is a third stage Zawahiri says. The third stage is to extend the jihad to the secular countries neighboring Iraq. This is not me. This is not some administration spokesperson, this is Zawahiri, No. 2 in al-Qaida. December of 2006, Zawahiri says: " The backing of the jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq today is to back the most important battlefields in which the crusade against Islam is in progress, and the defeat of the crusaders will have a far-reaching effect on the future of the Muslim Umah".

I could go on. I will read one final one. May 2007, 2 months ago, and this is Zawahiri again in a tape. "The critical importance of the jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan becomes clear, because the defeat of the crusaders there soon, Allah permitted, lead to the setting up of two mujahedin emirates, which will be launch pads for the liberation of the Islamic lands and the establishment of the caliphate. That is why I call on the Muslim Umah not to lag behind or tarry in supporting jihad in general and jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan in particular, in view of the pivotal importance of these two arenas. "

The incontrovertible reality of the Jihadists own words place the Democrats and other war critics in quite a tough logical dilemma. If the jihad came to Iraq before the invasion then we had an abundantly good and clear reason to invade. If it came to fight us after the invasion, the war critics cannot advocate withdrawal without victory without admitting that the terrorists would gain a tremendous victory. Of course, the most vile of the Democrats, like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, etc…. desire American defeat, they have waved the white flag through their entire careers, but others, the Mark Pryors and Evan Bayhs of the world undoubtedly do not desire American defeat but their desire for power overwhelms their judgment.

Either way, they cannot defend it without slipping the surly bonds of deductive reality that bind them to the real world.