Qods, Surges, and impending elections...

Do you know what the Qods Force is?

From Iranian Qods Force Agents Detained in Irbil Raid, at The Fourth Rail,

Qods Force [or Jerusalem Force] is a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is responsible for planning and conducting foreign operations, intelligence gathering and terrorist activities. The unit works extensively with Hezbollah. Qods Force regularly uses its diplomatic missions to provide cover for its operatives. (emphasis added)

From The Karbala attack and the IRGC, also at The Fourth Rail,

The American Forces Information Service provides the details of the attack in Karbala. Based on the sophisticated nature of the raid, as well as the response, or cryptic non-responses, from multiple military and intelligence sources, this raid appears to have been directed and executed by the Qods Force branch of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps.

From  Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack, at CNN,

The Pentagon is investigating whether a recent attack on a military compound in Karbala was carried out by Iranians or Iranian-trained operatives, two officials from separate U.S. government agencies said.

From Are the Iranians Out for Revenge?, at Time.com,

Mindful of the spreading chaos in Iraq, President Bush has promised not to take the war into Iran. But it won't matter to the IRGC [Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. There is nothing the IRGC likes better than to fight a proxy war in another country.

From The Bully And His Mercenaries, at ThreatsWatch,

Iran has been embedding its Qods Force members within Iraq – including throughout all levels of Iraq’s government – since the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Through this network, it has supplied both Sunni terrorists and insurgents as well as Shi’a militias and death squads with cash, training and weapons, including the milled explosive charges and infrared triggers that have been employed in roadside bombs.

Take a bit of time to read up on the Qods Force. And then ask yourself which political party stands the best chance of fighting such a threat - because the impetus for such a threat is very real and it is not new. It stretches back beyond the Iraq invasion, beyond 9/11, beyond the first attack on the World Trade Center, and beyond the first Gulf War.

Consider, if you will, there are those who wish to compare the dire situation in Iraq with that of Vietnam. You remember Vietnam, don't you? That was the war which lasted over 10 years, peaked at over half a million troops, and cost over 55,000 American lives. Well, we finally left Vietnam and were, consequently, left alone.

Islamic terrorists, however, are not quite so indifferent about our existence. Given that we were not left alone, to begin with, what realistic chance is there that we will be left alone upon exiting Iraq?

More importantly, how will the potential candidates for President of the United States address the issue of the Qods, Iran, and the Islamic terrorist threat?