If you want to know how the "war on terror" is going, you have to look no further than the State Department's annual terrorism report, just released.

The organization that was responsible for the 9/11 attacks and that we initially went to war to destroy — al Qaida — has gained strength in the last year. Mind you, that group is not as powerful as it was when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were carried out, but it is getting stronger.

That means the war on terror, while it has had an impact, appears to be losing steam, or at the very least, it has lost its focus. Around the world, deaths are well up from terrorist attacks.

This is particularly true in Pakistan where terrorist attacks more than doubled and the number of fatalities almost tripled. Afghanistan also saw a jump in terrorist attacks. Those two nations form the primary base for al Qaida operatives.

If al Qaida were the only source of terrorism, that would be one thing, but the fact is that it has many well-springs, the biggest of which is Iran. It is important to note, however, that Iran and al Qaida are distinctly different and do not cooperate with one another.

Al Qaida is a Sunni Muslim organization and Iran is a Shiite nation. While Osama bin Laden probably does not hate the Iranians as much as he hates Americans, he has made it clear that the hate is there.

We've said plenty of times that Saddam Hussein was an evil dictator and that it is probable — though by no means certain at this point — that the Iraqi people will be better off in the long run without him. But it is clear now that the invasion of Iraq has done more to hurt the war on terror than help it. Not only has it spread our military perilously thin, it has not targeted those most responsible.

Since it is painfully clear this president is not going to change paths, it will be up to the next leader to do something about it. The choices are not easy and we admit we don't have any magic answers. Staying the course, though, is not just a bad idea, it is proving to be downright dangerous.