U.S. paying high price for diverted attention

A report released last week says the United States remains Al-Qaida's prime target.
That report, by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, was followed by more detailed intelligence accounts that said terrorists are already here and are planning a major strike this summer.
So much for that relaxing summer vacation.
But seriously, the question that must be asked in light of Al-Qaida's reportedly growing numbers and imminent threats is this: Is Al-Qaida our prime target?
For some reason, it doesn't seem so.
After 9/11
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, President Bush and the intelligence community quickly and correctly identified Al-Qaida operatives as the culprits and vowed soon after to bring them down.
"Our enemy hopes to hide until we tire," Bush told American soldiers during a visit in November 2001. "But we're going to prove them wrong. We will never tire, and we will hunt them down."
Over and over again, in speeches and press conferences and other gatherings after 9/11, the president repeated his vow: "We will hunt them down. We will hunt them down."
To Bush's credit, it appeared that "hunting them down" was in fact our primary goal, and in fact, many Al-Qaida fighters have been taken out.
But somewhere along the way -- hmm, maybe in Iraq, for instance -- we got distracted.
It seemed, for awhile anyway, that we were getting close to finding Osama bin Laden. And as he slipped through our fingers, it seems we turned our attention elsewhere.
More survey details
A survey by the International Institute says Al-Qaida has more than 18,000 potential terrorists and its ranks are growing. It also reported that one Al-Qaida leader has said 4 million Americans will have to be killed "as a prerequisite to any Islamic victory."
The real irony in all this is that while Iraq may have distracted us from our target, our aggression there is the very action that has fueled Al-Qaida's revival.
Iraq has become the new magnet of Al-Qaida's war against the United States, and up to 1,000 foreign Islamic fighters have infiltrated Iraqi territory, where they are cooperating with Iraqi forces, the International Institute survey says.
And so here we are, at the start of a busy summer travel season, facing new warnings, new threats and new resolve to hunt down terrorists.
The FBI this week launched a massive global manhunt specifically for seven terror suspect with ties to Al-Qaida. Their pictures have been plastered in newspapers and on TV screens everywhere. Six of the seven have been sought for months -- and in some cases -- years by the FBI.
The United States is talking tough again.
It's time to go beyond the tough talk.
It's time to regain focus, cut off the distractions -- for starters, let's get the United Nations to take the lead in Iraq -- and nail the culprits responsible for 9/11.
We shouldn't have to lose 4 million Americans for that to happen.