Prez states blindingly obvious
"Bush reminds Americans U.S. is at war." "Bush warns of Islamic caliphate." "Bush won't allow Iran to get nukes."
This is what President Bush should have been telling the nation nonstop since 9/11. Not beating the drumbeat of terrorism (since that implicitly allows the terrorists to win by terrorizing) but that we are in fact engaged in a global conflict for our civilization. A conflict that is being waged just as much in the cities of Europe and on the internet as it is in Iraq, Afghanistan, and a dozen other places around the world where Coalition forces are deployed. It's a war that won't have a defined end, and never really had a defined beginning. It's a war that's being fought based on 1400 years worth of history. It's a war where our enemies and friends can't be distinguished from one another, and are sometimes the same people. It's a war where we fight with a rifle in one hand and rebuild with a shovel in the other. It's a war that we have to win, because nothing less than 300 years of liberal democracy is at stake. And it's a war that I'm worried we're currently on track to lose, thanks to a lack of mobilization of the populace by our political leadership, namely, President Bush. We don't need to donate our pots for airplane parts and ration our tires, but we do need to donate our time to inform ourselves so we understand the conflict. Because as the President pointed out today, using the words of our enemies, our opponents in this conflict sure as hell understand what they're fighting for. And we need to understand that as well if we want to have any hope of winning. It's not hard; go read Osama's fatwas, or try the recent "Azzam" video. Our enemies take this conflict seriously, but for some reason, too many people in this country don't. Which brings me to my next point.
Of course, the "loyal opposition" can't see the forest for the trees and continues its drumbeat of IRAQ-IRAQ-IRAQ *cough*draft*cough* IRAQ-IRAQ-IRAQ. Lex and Salamander have already dealt with that subject; suffice to say that things are going to get a lot worse politically and domestically before they get better, if they get better. As I said in a comment over at the good CDR's place, those in the know about the war view the political process as a means to the end of victory, or at least the pursuit of it. Those who refuse to take this conflict seriously view the war as a means to the end of temporary political victory. Who cares if the Middle East falls apart as long as we win at midterms. It should be noted that there are plenty of both kinds of people in both political parties, but that should also go without saying because when it comes to the war I'm neither Republican or Democrat; I'm pro-victory, whatever that takes. (Incidentally, I'm actually libertarian, but that's neither here nor there.)
The bottom line is that I'm scared. The country isn't in a good place right now. We have an opposition who is anything but loyal, "blame America" is a relatively mainstream viewpoint, we are well on the road to having a broken down military (more on that later), and we, along with the rest of the liberal democracies, seem to lack the will to fight for what we supposedly hold near and dear. Is this any one person's fault? No. Like any major failure, it has too many components to count, ranging all the way from President Bush down to every single citizen who has either done nothing to educate his or herself, or if he or she has, is unwilling to correct others when they repeat blatant lies designed to hamper our war effort because he or she "isn't political."
It's not about politics; it's about the future of our civilization. And every day down the road we're on is going to make it harder to change tracks to victory.
This is what President Bush should have been telling the nation nonstop since 9/11. Not beating the drumbeat of terrorism (since that implicitly allows the terrorists to win by terrorizing) but that we are in fact engaged in a global conflict for our civilization. A conflict that is being waged just as much in the cities of Europe and on the internet as it is in Iraq, Afghanistan, and a dozen other places around the world where Coalition forces are deployed. It's a war that won't have a defined end, and never really had a defined beginning. It's a war that's being fought based on 1400 years worth of history. It's a war where our enemies and friends can't be distinguished from one another, and are sometimes the same people. It's a war where we fight with a rifle in one hand and rebuild with a shovel in the other. It's a war that we have to win, because nothing less than 300 years of liberal democracy is at stake. And it's a war that I'm worried we're currently on track to lose, thanks to a lack of mobilization of the populace by our political leadership, namely, President Bush. We don't need to donate our pots for airplane parts and ration our tires, but we do need to donate our time to inform ourselves so we understand the conflict. Because as the President pointed out today, using the words of our enemies, our opponents in this conflict sure as hell understand what they're fighting for. And we need to understand that as well if we want to have any hope of winning. It's not hard; go read Osama's fatwas, or try the recent "Azzam" video. Our enemies take this conflict seriously, but for some reason, too many people in this country don't. Which brings me to my next point.
Of course, the "loyal opposition" can't see the forest for the trees and continues its drumbeat of IRAQ-IRAQ-IRAQ *cough*draft*cough* IRAQ-IRAQ-IRAQ. Lex and Salamander have already dealt with that subject; suffice to say that things are going to get a lot worse politically and domestically before they get better, if they get better. As I said in a comment over at the good CDR's place, those in the know about the war view the political process as a means to the end of victory, or at least the pursuit of it. Those who refuse to take this conflict seriously view the war as a means to the end of temporary political victory. Who cares if the Middle East falls apart as long as we win at midterms. It should be noted that there are plenty of both kinds of people in both political parties, but that should also go without saying because when it comes to the war I'm neither Republican or Democrat; I'm pro-victory, whatever that takes. (Incidentally, I'm actually libertarian, but that's neither here nor there.)
The bottom line is that I'm scared. The country isn't in a good place right now. We have an opposition who is anything but loyal, "blame America" is a relatively mainstream viewpoint, we are well on the road to having a broken down military (more on that later), and we, along with the rest of the liberal democracies, seem to lack the will to fight for what we supposedly hold near and dear. Is this any one person's fault? No. Like any major failure, it has too many components to count, ranging all the way from President Bush down to every single citizen who has either done nothing to educate his or herself, or if he or she has, is unwilling to correct others when they repeat blatant lies designed to hamper our war effort because he or she "isn't political."
It's not about politics; it's about the future of our civilization. And every day down the road we're on is going to make it harder to change tracks to victory.
posted by Mike at 6:24 PM
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