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Jewish World Review Oct. 17, 2005 / 14 Tishrei, 5766 No mincing words in the war on terror By Kathryn Lopez
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It all began on Sept. 11, 2001. Or so goes the conventional wisdom.
Of course, that is not completely true. A war against America was
already in full swing by then. Osama bin Laden, in fact, was on
record having declared war on the United States in 1996. But once
the towers fell, once there was a gaping hole in the Pentagon, once
brave Americans died in a Pennsylvania field (possibly saving the
lives of many more), that's when we started to get serious about
fighting terrorism.
The degree to which we are serious varies. We have miles to go in
protecting our borders, for example. Intelligence reform is going
slower than anyone has patience for (or should have patience for,
for that matter). Terrorists, we know, run rampant in much of Iraq.
They're in power elsewhere in the Middle East.
Actions in the war on terror are crucial. (As imperfect as it is on
the ground, the bad guys don't have the keys to the city in Baghdad
anymore, for instance, since Saddam Hussein was toppled.) But words
aren't trivial.
Which is why President George W. Bush's early October speech to the
National Endowment for Democracy is an important one, not to be
forgotten. By American policymakers. And by the world leaders he
spoke directly to and challenged. And by Joe Muslim-American, who
has a religion to fight for — out of the hands of the barbarous
extremists who kill in its name. And, by any of us who has a stake
in this war — in other words, every one of us).
For those who would cut and run in Iraq, a recent message from the
enemy — in this case Al Qaeda's No. 2 guy, Ayman al-Zawahiri —
makes clear that that's not really an out option for us. Zawahiri
recently wrote: "The mujahedeen must not have their mission end with
the expulsion of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their
weapons and silence the fighting zeal." They want us more than out
of Iraq.
For his part, our president noted, "The terrorists regard Iraq as
the central front in their war against humanity. And we must
recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror."
The Bush speech was judgmental, and so not "Oprahy" — as it should
be. When ruthless villains want our very way of life, obliterated,
there's really no reason to tiptoe around what's going on.
So the president told it like it is — no small thing as successes
like Iraqi voting. He pinpointed the enemy we are fighting as
Islamic radicalism — not exactly politically correct, but true.
"The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the great
challenge of our new century. Yet in many ways, this fight resembles
the struggle against communism in the last century." Bush emphasized
our need to stick with it, challenged nations who use this
perversity to hold onto power, challenged non-radical Muslims to
fight for their religion. And he named the name — Islamic
radicalism. This isn't a war about a random terror. A very specific
kind of war is being waged — calling on Muslims to wage a jihad
against us infidels.
Naming the problem is important. In 12-step programs and in war.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a potential candidate for the
presidency in 2008, has recently been doing just that, and taking
heat for it in the process — the kind that would make lesser
leaders cower. In a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington,
D.C., last month, Romney said "How many individuals are coming to
our state and going to (academic) institutions who have come from
terrorist-sponsored states? Do we know where they are? Are we
tracking them? How about people who are in settings — mosques, for
instance — that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror. Are
we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what's
going on?"
Good common sense from a state chief executive and increasingly
national political player. Predictably, almost immediately, there
were hysterical cries for him to apologize. He has done no such
thing. To the contrary, Romney has stuck by his remarks —
emphasizing that good common sense of it. Militant Islamic
terrorists recruit at radical Muslim mosques more than they do at
"the 4-H Club," he said on "The O'Reilly Factor." Rather than
outrage, you'd think that would bring on a collective "Duh." It's
just obvious and sensible.
We're at war. We don't have time not to make sense.
Are Bush and Romney profiles in courage? We shouldn't even have to
go that far. They are doing something fundamental here. It's gutsy,
but it is the stuff of leadership. This kind of clear thinking is
something to be encouraged — a little support for a few good
speeches could go a long way toward inspiring more folks to
constructively speak the name of the evil we're up against. We owe
the men and women putting it all on the line on the action
frontlines nothing less.
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
