Almost five and a half years ago, America — united by the shock of 9/11 — understood exactly what it needed to do. It had to find, thwart and take down the command structure of Al Qaeda, which was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 innocent people on American soil. Despite years of costly warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, America today is not significantly closer to that essential goal.
At a crucial moment, the Bush administration diverted America’s military strength, political attention and foreign aid dollars from a necessary, winnable war in Afghanistan to an unnecessary, and by now unwinnable, war in Iraq. Al Qaeda took full advantage of these blunders to survive and rebuild. Now it seems to be back in business.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
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Yes, it's a tough war, against a Hydra-like structute. But putting the War on Terror in scare quotes, or your head in the sand (or up your keister) will not make this huge problem go away. For all the tactical and/or strategic blunders, W is the only one who has had the gumption to take on the fight to these guys. Everyone else simply runs for the tall grass, or hides in Versailles, or smugly smirks, or given aid and comfort to the enemy, without ever lifting a finger, of course.
Thanks for posting this, Pepe. I had seen that Gail Collins had once again raised her cute but empty head and pondered posting this--not that there's any substance there, of course, but to show that she will find a way to oppose anything from anyone but Al Gore or similar moonbattery.
I have forgotten, but I wonder if anyone can come up with anything from her pen legitimating the war in Afghanistan.
One of her tight Cantabrigian adherents of my acquaintance would repeat like a mantra that winning anything in Afgh is impossible: look at the Brits, the Russians, the Mongols...whatever. (Or maybe that was AI salivating over Kipling?)
Now that the war looks nontrivial in Afgh, they're shocked by W's incompetence.
Even if terrorism coming from Afgh were stopped entirely and it all came from Iraq, these dopes would say we were taking our eye off the prize...
Fiddling while Rome burns.
Rudyard Kipling: yes, that's one of my personal heroes. Right on!
Wtf kinda name is Rudyard? I remember Bart Simpson in an episode tells a substitute teache rhis name is Ruttiger. Probably like Rutger as in Hauer.
Sorry, the spring rut is on and I have a hard time keeping it in my pants when it comes to etymologies.
It is in Spring that JJ feasts on Rutabuggers ?
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