You&8217;ve heard this one before:

If we don&8217;t fight the terrorists in Iraq, we&8217;ll end up fighting them over here.

Can that argument be dismissed from the debate over the war in Iraq? Whether you support or oppose the war, that line of thinking should be taken off the table. Good-bye.

Think about it. Are terrorists really waiting until U.S. forces pull out of this civil war to attack America?

C&8217;mon. The argument pretends that the way to perform homeland security is posting troops in one oil-rich nation on the other side of the globe. Just on Tuesday, a plot to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey and to kill scores of U.S. soldiers was foiled all thanks to a store clerk. Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested as a result of a Circuit City clerk noticing a violent videotape he was asked to copy.

A better question is this: Is our homeland security in the hands of store clerks because we are spending our money and resources in Iraq?

Whether for or against the war as it stands today, Americans should ask themselves that question.