The Will to Win
I don't often quote extensively from the peices I post. I want folks to read the articles for themselves.
But this article from Friday's OpinionJournal is a keeper.

Here's and extended segment:
Incredibly, every Democratic Presidential candidate save Dick Gephardt and Joe Lieberman has opposed Mr. Bush's $87 billion request to fight the war. Senators John Edwards and John Kerry voted against this money to finish the war they both voted to start. Wesley Clark not only opposes the money but this week blamed Mr. Bush for failing to stop September 11. Of all people, a decorated Vietnam veteran such as Mr. Clark must understand that his words are heard not just in Des Moines and Nashua but in the Baathist bunkers of Tikrit and Fallujah.
We are not saying that these voices want the U.S. to lose. But their criticism is so virulent and unconstructive that it is clear they won't let themselves believe that America could win. Chasing Howard Dean to the left, Mr. Kerry is all but saying that if he becomes President the U.S. will withdraw post-haste. In Sunday's Democratic debate, the Vietnam war and protest veteran also divorced what is happening in Iraq from the broader war on terror. "And this war on terror is far less of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement operation," he said.

At least this comment gets to the heart of the matter. Mr. Kerry is endorsing the pre-9/11 consensus on how to fight terrorism. Try to disrupt the terrorists if you can, but be ready to endure their blows and send the police and prosecutors to get them after the fact. We tried that once, and the result was 3,000 dead civilians.

It's time we all recognized the stakes. And the cost of putting politics ahead of country.