Stay The Course?

Democrats are railing against 'stay the course' because we've encountered obstacles. Every time there is a setback, they cite it is proof we've failed; when positive news is reported, they dismiss it as propaganda. Dems continue to refine their defense for initially supporting the Iraq war while failing to explain what comes next. They bash Mr. Bush as simplistic for differentiating between good and evil, saying such polarity does not exist in a dynamic world, but stridently separate the significance of our regional military activities, characterizing Iraq as unrelated to a wider conflict.

The struggle against international terrorism is, at its core, a struggle to halt state support. Without land for training camps and covert arming from national governments, terrorism will not succeed. When all states stop turning a blind eye to the culprits, terrorism will die.

Iran is designated by the United States as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and is actively increasing its effort to perfect atomic weaponry. From their perspective, 150,000+ troops belonging to their hated enemy are amassed in tangent territories east and west (not to mention Iranian domestic mobilization facilitated by the Axis of Evil speech).

Bin Ladin and most of his original organizational structure have been detained, destroyed, or sent into hiding. Long-term future threats will rise exponentially if firebrand clerics are enriched by successfully imploring naïve youths to destroy themselves. As long as suicide-bombing provides a path to something more imporant than life, those preaching the promise of heaven and financial restitution for families left behind will maintain a tactical advantage. Further, inciting public furor (specifically against Americans and Jews) brings status from a disillusioned public and thus additional support from transnational patrons.

We’ve have changed the course; America changed the course of history in the Middle East, enabling the creation of the region's second and third liberal democracy. By bringing down the Taliban we removed the overt state-supporter of 9/11's perpetrators. By overthrowing Saddam we removed the largest thumb in the eye of the UN and demonstrated the US would not indefinitely allow perceived threats to disregard international consensus.

We are now engaged with enemies who see the US as a frail society, infirm in its commitments, and susceptible to defeat by a thousand pin pricks. If we lose our resolve now, if we surrender to a vision of hate and and intolerance, if we relent because of adversity, our adversaries will continue their march through the immediate region and beyond (as evident in Africa).

It up to us; we get to decide if we want to relent, withdraw, and concede. However, if that is our choice, it will condemn the future as we stick our heads in sand as our foes turn it to glass.