somewhere in a U.S.-indebted, but not torture-unfriendly, country.

An al Qaeda operative confesses to Qaeda/Iraq ties after days/weeks of .... intense "pressure" to do so.

Which becomes the ONLY basis for all the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfled claims of ties.

But the operative recants the confession later.

Which we don't know until secret bits of the Senate Intelligence Committee's reports are leaked.

So, no WMD, no ties, no imminent threat. But we do open up an easy-to-access training ground for newly-minted jihadists from around the world. And, focus the anger of the Arab world more clearly on us.

But Bush campaigns blithely on his war or turrer.