Thoughts on War

“After all, we are at war, you know.” The number of conservative talking heads that say this line keeps growing, as the storm over the photographs continues to expand and engulf the mainstream media. I think the statement, heard again and again, serves as a reminder and a warning.

Truth is, those on the left don't know we are at war. They refuse to believe that the current conflict is anything more than the police actions they supported under Clinton, and protested under Johnson, Nixon, and under the First President Bush.

The idea that we are engaged in a World War simply strikes those on the left as absurd. Raised with a distrust of authority, and an intense hatred for all things military, the left, with a few exceptions, has come to the conclusion that, since no formal declaration of war was given, we cannot be in a war. And the political calulations that follow from that view are therefore the things you hear from the left. You know the statements, “An illegal president fighting an illegal war.”
“If only Bush had involved the United Nations.”
And on and on and on.

Our enemies know we are at war. In fact, the Islamo-Fascists we face have been at war with the United Stated for at least 10 years now. Hiding our heads in the sands of the Middle East will not make them go away. Nor will somehow ceding power to the UN make Washington, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles a less tempting target the next time.

Sixty years ago, this nation needed no reminders that we were at war. The gold stars in the windows, signifying the loss of a family member was reminder enough. The images shown on Nightline last Friday, no matter what Ted Koppel's real motivation may have been, should continue to remind us.

We are at war.
And yes, it is a World War.
The stakes in this war are just as high as in the last World War.
The enemy fights in the shadows, but continues to fight.
It is time Mr. Kerry, the Democrats, and their willing accomplices in the mainstream media admitted that, and put aside both their 60's radicalism, and their selfish political calculations.