The American Spectator

br> — Deborah Durkee br> Marietta, Georgia /p>

Quin Hillyer’s article, “The Terrorists Are Losing,” was outstanding. President Bush rarely gets credit for anything yet few realize that we would not be complaining about an economic slowdown, or other domestic matters, if we had sustained another attack like 9/11 or worse.

The pain of 9/11 has subsided in the last 7 years and we often forget just how bad it truly was. We overcame that and take our security for granted. Bush’s solution to the complex problem of radical Islam is simple — freedom.

p>Fight back against your enemies and liberate those they oppress. It will work. It is working. Bush deserves credit and our thanks for protecting us for the last 7 years. I for one am grateful to him and to Dick Cheney. br> — Matt Daly br> New York City, New York /p>

In the immediate aftermath of the horrific events of September 11, 2001, everyone, and I mean everyone, predicted that more attacks were in the offing. It was inevitable that America would be hit again, we were told, because of the vulnerability of an open and free society, and because of the fanaticism and tenacity of our enemy. Osama bin Laden promised more “silver arrows,” his twisted description of civilian passenger planes hijacked for use as weapons of indiscriminant mayhem. The nation braced itself for more terror. And then a odd thing happened; nothing happened. It’s been seven years to the day since the twin towers were destroyed and the Pentagon severely damaged, yet not a single terrorist event has taken place on American soil since that awful day. Can anyone offer an explanation for this good fortune — anyone?

There is but a single reason for the complete thwarting of terrorists’ intentions to do more harm to the United States, and it has nothing to do with good fortune. President George W. Bush put America on offense, and for the last seven years we’ve been killing our enemies over there instead of cleaning up their messes over here. On the fundamental national security issue of our time, identifying and pursuing the proper response to international Islamic terrorism, President Bush was and is 100% correct. He knew, when so many others did not, that the surest way to win the war on terror was to attack the enemy on all fronts. So, America went after their troops and training bases, their communications networks and money supply, and the nations helping and harboring Islamic terrorists. Today, the Taliban no longer controls Afghanistan, 50,000,000 people are living in democracies for the first time in history, al Qaeda is reeling from a string of disastrous defeats, Iraq is stabilizing and may soon be a self-defending pro-west ally smack dab in the middle of terrorism central, and America is safer and stronger than at any time since 9/11. President Bush has earned and deserves the nation’s thanks.

Standing amid the rubble of the World Trade Center buildings a few days after the disaster, the President said, “The people who knocked these buildings down are going to hear from all of us pretty soon.” It wasn’t empty rhetoric or jingoistic boasting, as the terrorists in Afghanistan soon found out. Ignoring the naysayers who spoke and wrote of quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq just days into those wars, President Bush has demonstrated a firm resolve that has protected Americans and brought us “within sight of victory” in Iraq, as Sarah Palin is fond of saying. Americans should keep in mind that the only possible way we can lose in Iraq now is to elect Barack Obama. Wrong on whether to go to war, wrong about the value of our effort in Iraq, wrong when he voted against the surge, and childishly wrong by continuing to deny its success until a few weeks ago, Obama in no way can be trusted as Commander-in-Chief now. The War on Terror remains this nation’s biggest challenge. We cannot risk having an inexperienced leader who wants to negotiate with fanatics and invade our allies. If there was ever a clear choice for President, this election provides it, and the clear choice is John McCain. Right about going to war, always understanding the benefits of victory and the nightmarish consequences of defeat in Iraq, supporting the surge first and continuously in the face of massive opposition from both parties, John McCain is the obvious choice as our 44th President.

Battered by a disloyal opposition for almost every day of his presidency and relentlessly derided by media elites, President Bush has paid a steep political price for his efforts against terrorism. No willingness to stand in the gap for one’s country was every repaid with such vitriol. Demeaned as stupid and then some, President Bush has proven himself smarter than his detractors, never wavering in the face of tough times or decisions, always keeping faith with America and her military, and the American people. Untold tens of thousands of Americans are alive today because our President knew what to do during his time in office and did it, focus groups and polls be damned. When it comes to fighting terrorists, we need the next President to be just like him.