Fighting Them Over There So We'll Be Vulnerable Over Here.

From the MilitaryTimes:

The terrorist network Al-Qaida will likely leverage its contacts and capabilities in Iraq to mount an attack on U.S. soil, according to a new National Intelligence Estimate on threats to the American homeland.

The declassified key findings, to be released publicly Tuesday, were obtained in advance by The Associated Press.

The report lays out a range of dangers — from al-Qaida to Hezbollah to non-Muslim radical groups — that pose a “persistent and evolving threat” to the country over the next three years. As expected, however, the findings focus most of their attention on the gravest terror problem: Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network.

The report makes clear that al-Qaida in Iraq, which has not yet posed a direct threat to U.S. soil, could become a problem here.

In other words: Our presense in Iraq is not preventing al-Qaida from planning to attack us here. Meaning that the "if we leave they'll follow us home" mantra is utter crap.