Intelligence Assessment - Terrorism Worse Because of Iraq War

An intelligence assessment claims that terrorism has grown worse because of the Iraq war.  Expect this intelligence assessment to be played as a political card by Democrats as the fall elections near.

The leaked report went to the usual suspects, the New York Times and the Washington Post. 

It basically said that the nation's spy agencies don't think the Iraq war has reduced the threat of terrorism. In fact, they concluded that the war has contributed to an increased threat, the leaked report states.

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The Associated Press reports the back and forth we can expect from politicians:

Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn. said he had not seen the classified report, which was completed in April, but said Americans understand the United States must continue to fight terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere.

"Either we are going to be fighting this battle, this war overseas, or it's going to be right here in this country," Frist said on ABC's "This Week," echoing an argument that President Bush frequently makes.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement that the assessment "should put the final nail in the coffin for President Bush's phony argument about the Iraq war."

"How many more independent reports, how many more deaths, how much deeper into civil war will Iraq need to fall for the White House to wake up and change its strategy in Iraq?"

Frist said Kennedy wants to "cut and run."

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The report claims that the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

--Robert Hernandez writes from Florida

Additional Source: AP