Fly paper

Another one from the State of the Union Address:

Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

Talking Points Memo addressed this a long time ago:

As a TPM reader put it to me both hilariously and brilliantly more than a year ago, this 'fly paper' thesis is like saying we're going to build one super dirty hospital where we can fight the germs on our own terms.

I don't think that terrorists who would have attacked America are now attacking us in Iraq. I think that terrorists attacking us in Iraq mostly didn't exist before we got there, but who knows?

It's still tempting to believe the fly paper idea, even though I was convinced of its falsehood a long time ago. I honestly can't tell if the President believes it, or if he's just offering an idea to make people feel better.