The people we are fighting in Iraq are, basically, a combination of Baathist holdovers and Islamic terror groups, including al Qaeda.

The Baathists are supported and run by leaders both in Iraq and in Syria. There is a solid pipeline of material, money, and personnel between Syria and Iraq. There's a reason we are losing a lot of Americans along a line connecting Syria and Baghdad. Whether this support is directly from the Syrian government, or whether that government is just looking the other way while other groups are doing this in Syria, is not clear.

The Islamist terrorists are indeed coming to Iraq to fight us. However, I find it impossible to believe that if we had never attacked Iraq, that most of the same terrorists would not be doing the same things in Afghanistan. They just wouldn't have the Baathists running support and money for them. As I have asked a lot of people: if we had never invaded Iraq, where do you think Zarqawi would be right now?

And for about the thirtieth time, this is an international conflict. Just not the nations you agree with. And if France was in it, do you really think they would have any more troops on the ground than Poland does?