London - At this writing it's too soon to tell what effect today's events will have on British public opinion. It seems clear that this second round of attacks are a pale imitation of those just two weeks ago.

Considering how rapidly the political consensus here unraveled, it's hard to believe these incidents will lead to an enduring resolve to do what's necessary. Indeed, prior to today, the 7/7 attacks were already becoming just another talking point in the battle over Iraq.

Whereas in the first days after the murders, only the irredeemable left was claiming the bombings proved the war in Iraq was a mistake, now pliant liberals and activists are falling into line. The mayor of London, "Red Ken" Livingstone, is reverting to form, blaming the attacks on British and American foreign policy in general and Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for George W. Bush in particular. Islamic groups are getting into the act as well, saying that such terror attacks, while (wink, wink) "inexcusable," are in fact "understandable" given Britain's loyalty to the U.S., steadfastness in Iraq, etc.

Tony Blair, meanwhile, resolutely refuses to even consider the idea that these terror attacks are the result of the invasion of Iraq. He can't make that concession, because to do so would play into the hands of his own party's doves who'd say "I told you so!"

This is all a prime example of how politics can distort a serious argument. After all, it is obvious that the attacks in London were a result of Iraq, and in a more straightforward debate this would be an inconvenient fact for the opponents of the invasion.

For years we've been told that the war in Iraq was a mistake because the real enemy was al-Qaida or jihadism. Iraq is a "distraction" and all that.

And all along Blair and Bush have been saying the exact opposite: Iraq is the central front in the war on terror.

And yet, when terrorists strike at the heart of London, the pro-war crowd says this has nothing to do with Iraq and the anti-war crowd says it does.

This has it exactly backward.

Indeed, isn't the determination of jihadi fanatics to defend Iraq by attacking London exactly the sort of evidence required to demonstrate a linkage between terrorism and Iraq? If America and Britain invaded Canada, Islamic terrorists wouldn't care. But when we invaded Baghdad, they immediately declared it to be the defining battle of their movement. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq, has flatly declared that the future of their cause depends on the outcome of the fight in Iraq. Continued...