Can we win the war?
Dubya made an off message comment yesterday that we cannot win the war on terror. Democrats immediately seized on the comment as evidence of flip-flopping; throwing it back in the face of the Republicans as they continue to fault Kerry for not being resolute. First of all, I absolutely despise the way these two campaigns use these little sound bites as ammunition against their opponent. Most of the time they're used out of context or taken to an extreme that has little parallel with the intended meaning. (Kerry's remark about fighting a more sensitve war on terror comes to mind. Thank you vice president Dick for blowing that out of context.) That being said, yesterday's off-the-cuff comment by Dubya may be the first time ever that he and I have been in agreement. From the very start of the war on terror, I've struggled with two questions: 1) How do you fight a war against a battle tactic and 2) How do you win such a war? Dubya and his administration have made it painfully clear just how they expect to accomplish these things. Kill the people employing that tactic, and inject Democracy (aka freedom aka liberty) into the regions that host those people. I see two very serious consequences of these actions. The first is that forcing a form of government on a people without bringing them to the table will absolutely disenfranchise those people. Even though we have strong historical evidence that the advantages of democracy far outweigh dictatorship, the Iraqi people will for a long time see us as invaders, not liberators. This fact will be a major stumbling block for the renovation of Iraq, no matter how good our intentions. The second consequence of the war on terror is far more unsettling. Every terrorist we kill leaves behind countless friends and family. The survivors of those losses are imprinted with an impression of the United States that will never fade away. And you have to ask yourself - can we win a war on terror that plants the seeds of terrorism anew?
Today Dubya went back to the party line that we can and will win the war on terror. He is nothing if not resolute.