The country’s intelligence agencies have concluded the Iraq war is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives around the world. That is one of the main conclusions of a partially declassified National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism written by the nation’s 16 spy agencies. President Bush ordered the declassification of a four page summary of the NIE after the contents of the report were leaked to the press. Part of the National Intelligence Estimate concluded “The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” President Bush dismissed claims that the report indicates the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.

• President Bush: “I’m not surprised the enemy is exploiting the situation in Iraq and using it as a propaganda tool to try to recruit more people to their — to their murderous ways. Some people have guessed what’s in the report and have concluded that going into Iraq was a mistake. I strongly disagree. I think it’s naive. I think it’s a mistake for people to believe that going on the offense against people that want to do harm to the American people makes us less safe.”