The American Spectator

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The behavior of Manon McKinnon’s sister is both perfectly understandable and predictable. After six years that has seen little, if any progress in the war on terrorism, no leadership at any level in the country by any of the institutions that should be expected to provide it and absolutely no attempt to explain who the enemy is and why it is important to beat them, the good lady has given up. I have too — I have never seen a more mismanaged or inept operation than the war on terrorism, it is one blunder, one missed opportunity after an other. Never has America been so badly lead for so long by so many — isn’t there a single person in Washington who knows how to play this game! I don’t trust the Bush administration to get anything right anymore, I think George Bush is gutless and stupid, I don’t understand what the hell is going on and I daresay nobody else does either. No wonder morale is shot to hell — what type of idiot feels good about a fiasco like this? And what type of idiot expects them to feel good about it? It is completely wrong to blame the customer for getting cranky about perpetually lousy service and a stupid, useless product that failed every quality check imaginable — you shouldn’t need an MBA to work that out.

p>I do not expect anything to change until the Bush administration, the Congress, the military and the mass media clearly show the desire to win and the ability to define who the enemy is and what constitutes victory. Until that happens, I don’t blame anybody for feeling unenthusiastic, distrustful and embittered. br> — Christopher Holland br> Canberra, Australia /p>

Manon McKinnon’s article about the war on terror and its comparison to WWII struck close to home for me. My dad was an Air Force pilot (Army Air Corps at the time) and my mom was a British employee of the Navy Army Air Force Institute — they ran Px’s & stuff, I think. Anyway, they met in Germany after the war, married, had me and three girls and between the two of them I’ve been told lots of stories of death & deprivation related to the war. They and their generation made unimaginable sacrifices. Many gave their lives, of course. Some lost their sanity. Some lost limbs, eyes, innocence — no need to belabor the point. It just frustrates me as Democrats seek to lose a winnable war just to garner short-term political gain amongst their nutty base. We cannot lose to jihadists. We cannot let them win. Better to die fighting. Far better.

p>And by the way, the Air Force Song begins “Off we br> go…” Gotta get that one right for my dad. br> — Bryan Frymire br> Louisville, Kentucky. /p>

Ms. McKinnon writes a very cogent, if discouraging, article. He has personalized what so very many of us have observed and commented upon. It seems to me that American defeatism and lack of staying power has multiple roots, some more important than others.