“In January 2004 American forces had captured an al Qaeda courier who was carrying a letter from [al Qaeda in Iraq leader] Abu Musab al Zarqawi to al Qaeda leaders. The letter detailed Zarqawi’s plan to foment sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni in Iraq by ‘targeting and striking [Shiite] religious, political, and military symbols’ and ‘dragging them into a sectarian war.’ He went on to declare that ‘fighting the Shia is the way to take the nation to battle.’ He also made clear how much al Qaeda feared democracy, writing that when ‘the sons of this land will be the authority…we will have no pretext. We can pack up and leave and look for another land.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Dick Cheney, In My Time, Page 434