The American Spectator : The Road From Ground Zero

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The Road From Ground Zero

By Shawn Macomber on 7.1.09 @ 6:08AM

Are we "winning the long war"? A conversation with ilan Berman.

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TAS: You describe the government's failure to "engage the American public" as "fateful." What do you believe should have been done differently?

Berman: Battlefields are not the only places where wars are won and lost. What happens at home matters a great deal, in terms of galvanizing popular support for the war effort, as in World War II, or, conversely, deflating and discrediting the government's approach, i.e., Vietnam. President Bush had an opportunity in the days after 9/11 to reach out to the American people, demystify the ideology of our adversaries, and secure the political and economic support necessary for the government to prosecute the war effort properly. Sadly, he did not do so in a serious or sustained way. The rest, as they say, is history.

TAS: When Americans see the mess the world is in -- a burgeoning deficit that reaches newer and more frightening heights almost daily, and the never-ending blame and demonization of the United States even by governments that are purportedly our allies and receive huge sums of aid from the U.S. Treasury -- why should they not embrace a form of isolationism?

Berman: The temptation is there, of course. But counterterrorism should be like medicine -- preventive. No doctor worth his salt would tell you to simply disregard warning signs that something is terribly wrong with your health. Neither should the U.S. government, the overriding obligation of which is to provide for the safety and security of its citizens. In today's age of instantaneous media, rapid transportation, and weapons of almost unimaginable power, assuming that simply disengaging from the world would immunize us from harm is not only foolish, it is downright dangerous. The best defense is and always will be a good offense.

Page: < 12

topics:
Islam, Iran, War on Terror

About the Author

Shawn Macomber is a contributing editor to The American Spectator.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

Old Texican| 7.1.09 @ 11:20AM

Shawn, thank you for the reminder.

Here are some thoughts you might want to pursue as well.
Under Bush, I always said..."if they hit us again, God help them".

Now, I think: "If they hit us again, Obama will see it as an excuse to take advantage of another crisis"

...perhaps even an excuse to declare Martial Law, with an attendant "Presidential Emergency Powers Clause".
Then I think: "And that is the ballgame for a free country to live in."

Old Texican| 7.1.09 @ 1:33PM

Well Shawn
No comments here except me.

Hmmm, let me correct my grammer before some snark does. ..."and that is the ballgame for a free country in which to live...bi**h!" (grin)

Old Texican| 7.1.09 @ 4:15PM

Well, Shawn

Now you know how "inlooking" Americans are these days.

Even here with very bright commentators...9-11 is ancient history.
Evidently, our friends expect the next 9-11 to emerge from the whitehouse.

Aaron| 7.1.09 @ 8:55PM

Whenever I state that this war can be won just as the cold war was won, I get ridiculed by conservatives and liberals alike. That is one of the battles that has to be won as well.

The words "radical islam" should be used like bullets by our leaders until the those who are peaceful within the islam world wake up and join us in the battle.

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There is no doubt that Iran is in the throes of a monumental transformation. What started as a mass protest over a fraudulent election metamorphosed into something much more.