It has been five years since the President declared victory in the battle for Iraq. Since that day, more than 3,900 American troops have been killed – bringing the total to more than 4,000.

More than seven years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda has found a safe haven in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – a remote, mountainous region along Pakistan’s northwest border.

Five new reports from various government agencies and independent organizations were released this week, all confirming that the Bush Administration has weakened the security of the United States.

The long-term success of counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan means denying the country to Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other extremist groups as a safe haven – which means helping the Afghan government become sufficiently stable, representative and effective that its citizens prefer it to the promises and threats of extremists.