I just watched a Bill Moyers special last night regarding al Qaeda and Iraq.

Al Qaeda and Iraq - auto load video - (Quick Time or Windows Media)

The two gentlemen, West Point Instructor, Brian Fishman, and Middle Eastern and International Affairs Professor Fawaz Gerges, discussed several issues regarding Iraq

The sectarian conflicts.

How these conflicts might destabilize Lebanon.

The fact that the US military is supplying arms to some of the Sunni’s in Iraq who are apposed to "al-Qaeda like" groups..

The US’s infliction of civilian casualties, although no figures were discussed. - (Five hundred thousand to one million Iraqis killed, two million internally displaced, two million who have fled the country)

The fact that just a tiny fraction (3%-6%) of the Iraqi insurgency is composed of foreign Jihadists some of whom share al Qaeda's philosophy

The fact that those in Iraq who call themselves “al Qaeda” are not directly related to al Qaeda “central” and have a different command structure.  Essentially they’re an al-Qaeda “franchise”

The US’s “cultural” insensitivity toward the Iraqis

The fact that the US’s continual occupation of Iraq is leading to hatred throughout the Middle East for the US and is contributing to the ever widening and successful recruitment of Jihadists by like minded “al Qaeda” groups

The fact that more than 45% of the foreign Jihadists (3%-6% of the insurgency) in Iraq come from Saudi Arabia

The US’s massive prior support (ten billion dollars or more directly, much, much, more indirectly though our friends Saudi Arabia and Pakistan) for Jihadist groups throughout the Middle East during the last twenty years.

The US’s continual and ongoing support of government death squads in Iraq.  The SCIRI, the Interior Ministry, the “El Salvador option” “riding with the bad boys” and other plans of mayhem.

That the US, as recently as three months ago, was encouraging Saudi Arabia to continue it’s support for Anti-western Wahhabist Jihadist including groups who share al-Qaeda’s philosophy

The US’s ongoing support for the MEK, PKK the Jundullah, affiliated Baluchistan separatists, and other groups throughout the Middle East.

How all this support by the US throughout the Middle East for these various groups is destabilizing the entire region and ENCOURAGING sectarian conflicts in countries such as Lebanon

How administration officials, including such notables as Condoleezza Rice, publicly lauded and described such efforts to deliberately destabilize the Middle East as "birth pangs"  (“a.k.a. constructive instability”)

The DPG, PNAC and other prior documents, public statements and groups which describe IN DETAIL the US’s plans to cause all this instability.

How these plans have been in the works for the last twenty years and how they have PREDICTED all of the current ongoing actions by the US government and the terrible strife now occurring in the Middle East

The horrendous crimes committed in these conflicts by US personnel which include the deliberate targeting of civilians on almost every mission, B&E, vandalism, the humiliation and in many cases, rape and murder of Iraqi civilians.

The hundreds of thousands of Iraqis imprisoned and the tens of thousands tortured by US service personnel throughout America’s Gulag Archipelago including such places as Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Bagram Air Force Base and many, many other locations throughout the world.

The deliberate and almost complete destruction of Iraq's infrastructure.  Hospital's, roads, sewage plants, schools, etc.

The diliberate and almost complete destruction of Iraq’s cultural artifacts.

The massive unemployment in Iraq, up to sixty percent.

The privatization of Iraq's entire industrial sector,  i.e. stealing their assets.

The fact that the US turned over (rendered) people it had captured to many governments in the Middle East (Syria, Egypt, and others) for torture and death.  Not a practice that would normally inspire the people of the Middle East to support US policies or what the US calls "our" friendly governments.

How these policies of torture and mayhem were deliberately encouraged by administration officials, one of whom actually watched and directed the tortures over a video link. (Donald Rumsfeld).

The current ongoing plans (Video-YuTb-1.37m)  to attack Iran, Syria and many other countries

The Israeli occupation of Palestine and the horror it entails for the Palestinian people.

The US’s ongoing expansion of permanent bases in Iraq.

The utter betrayal of "democratic principals" by the US when it encouraged the people in Lebanon and Palestine to go out and vote, and when they voted for those theUS didn't like, Hezbollah and Hammas, the US had Isreal launch their long planned attacks against them - attacks which are ongoing to this day.

And of course, most importantly of all…is the oil.