Bad Strategy

I've heard the argument that we are fighting the terrorists in Iraq so that we don't have to fight them here several times. But ever since opinion polls have gone south on the war effort and Bush has turned to selling it more and more, I've heard that argument more and more. Here's a case in point from today's White House press briefing:

Q: Scott, how concerned is the administration about the potential for Iraq to become a sort of training ground for Islamic extremists who may go back to their home countries and use these techniques to destabilize their governments? There's a new report on that recently.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let me mention a couple things. As the President has said for some time now, Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism. Wherever you stood before the decision to go into Iraq, I think we can all recognize that the terrorists have made it a central front in the war on terrorism. That's why, as the President said earlier today, we are fighting the terrorists in Iraq so that we don't have to fight them here at home. And that's where things are. And that's why the terrorists understand how high the stakes are ...

I'm sorry, but this just doesn't strike me as a very good strategy. . . kinda like a boxer's who's fight strategy is to block the other guy's punches with his face until the other guy gets tuckered out.