The American Spectator

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Remembering All Too Well

9.12.06 @ 12:01AM

REMEMBER THE COLE
Re: Philip Klein's Forget 1938 -- How About 1988?:

To add to Mr. Klein's mention of the assault on the U.S.S. Cole, I remember immediately after the attack Bill Clinton in a television address solemnly assuring the American public that in regards to the destroyer's dead sailors, "we take care of our own." I knew then it was nonsense, and his inaction regarding the Cole over the remaining few weeks of his administration once again proved him to be a phony.
-- Paul DeSisto
Cedar Grove, New Jersey

Nice article, but our government still has not changed. We are sliding down a slippery slope to war, because our politicians in Washington are too worried about their sorry rears to do anything meaningful. Consider the following examples.

Saudi Arabia is still funding terror cells, madrassas, and sending Wahhabi clerics to preach in mosques in the U.S. -
Our answer: We say the Saudis are still our friends(most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis), and colleagues in the War on Terror. Our colleges fall all over themselves to recruit more Saudi students.

Iran's president publicly states he wants war with the U.S., boasting that Iran has an army of 40,000 suicide bombers ready to commit mayhem on the world. He has stated Israel needs to be wiped off the map, and boasts about the capability of the Iranian armed forces.

Our answer: We allow the current president of Iran to travel from Cuba to New York, to address the U.N. General Assembly. We grant the previous president of Iran a visa, so he can speaks Harvard, and at the National Cathedral in Washington. Currently, he's also slated to go to Georgia and meet with former President Jimmy Carter. What next? A Medal of Freedom for him?

We are still not restricting the visas of people from Islamic countries, unless they are on a "Terrorist watch list." Does this mean our intelligence is so good that we know the names of all the potential terrorists in the world? No, it simply means that our government is continuing to practice collective insanity!

The politicians in Washington, both Democrat and Republican, wouldn't know how to conduct a war if someone gave them all the answers. Our president and all his advisors should read a good book on how to properly conduct a war. I'm sure the any Marine officer can recommend several, since it is required of them. It might not be perfect advice, but it would be an improvement on what they are currently doing.

For that matter, any conservative grandfather could give them better advice than they are currently following.

Americans are disgusted and sick of excuses and nuances. God help the politicians in this country if there is another more serious attack. The American public will not simply sit around, waiting to be murdered in our beds, while our government wrings its hands.

President Bush's lousy poll numbers are the result of his soft, meandering approach to the war on terror. Initially, he talked a good game, and all the conservatives were behind him. Now, we wonder if he has the stones to keep us safe until the end this year, let alone the end of his term. Is Iran going to get the bomb? Is North Korea really going to shoot a missile at the United States? What happened to the doctrine of pre-emption?

The key definition of military victory is defeating your enemy on the battlefield, and breaking his will to fight. You don't do that by nation building, nor do you earn the respect(defined as fear of consequences) of potential enemy nations by hesitating. Having military capability without the courage and guts to use it, when necessary, does not result in respect. Sadly, it's nothing but a colossal waste of money.

My grandchildren are going to inherit the nation our current leaders will leave them. Our current leaders had better change the way they do things, or they will go down in history as the group that lost our freedoms.
-- R. Goodson
Vero Beach, Florida

KERRY SAFE
Re: Andrew Cline's Are We Safer?:

Surely our flights are safer than five years ago. Simply the fact that our cockpit doors have been locked and secured, is obviously a tremendous advantage -- making our planes invulnerable to being re-directed for
political purposes. We can end the discussion right there. Thank you
-- Al
Lemon Grove

Letter to the Editor

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