Gen. Tommy Franks told me the war was being compromised as specialized personnel and equipment were being shifted from Afghanistan to prepare for the war in Iraq - a war more than a year away.

We ought to recognize that we have an offensive responsibility to take the war to the terrorists where they are. That responsibility has waned in the last year as military and intelligence resources were withdrawn from Afghanistan and Pakistan to be used in Iraq.

The president is clearly making a judgment that it is more important for us to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan than it is to deal with the very serious problems that we have in the United States.

The war on terror is not limited to Iraq. It is not limited to Afghanistan. They are but fronts in the global war we are waging today.

People distinguish between the Canadian mission in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. They see it as part of Canada's traditional role in helping sustain peace around the world.

Afghanistan and Iraq were lumped together in what was called a 'global war on terrorism.'