“In January [23] 2004, our troops intercepted a letter from [al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi to senior al Qaeda leaders. He wrote about the growing pressure he was feeling and laid out his plan for survival. ‘We need to bring the Shia into the battle,’ he wrote, ‘because it is the only way to prolong the duration of the fight between the infidels and us.’ He set a new goal for the jihadists in Iraq–igniting a ‘sectarian war.’ “
– George W. Bush, Decision Points, Page 271