[GCFL-discuss] Al Qaeda

[gcfl-discuss at gcfl.net]

I received this from a Republican coworker of a friend who describes
himself as a conservative Democrat. My reply follows.
						Siarlys
--------- Begin forwarded message ----------

	One short comment to the Al Qaeda situation, depending on who you
listen too we have killed or arrested between 66 and 75% of all members
of Al 
Qaeda, I think that is quite a feat in and of its self.  That is why I
feel 
confident in our current administration, by the time George Bush's second

term is up we should have most of Al Qaeda eliminated.  Now if we are to
go 
to war in the future against terrorism, with John Kerry as our president,

we must first pass a "global test", which is a very scarey thought.

--------- End forwarded message ----------

The "global test" is no more and no less than a realistic assessment of
all the forces on the board, those we can make use of, those that will be
against us and must be dealt with as such, those who could swing for or
against us, which might or might not mean swinging against, or for, our
opponents. It is the mature, strategic assessment than any competent
military or political leader must be able to make. (Remember Clausewitz's
famous saying that war is the continuation of politics by other means).
It is not a poll of everyone in the world to see what's popular today.
George Bush has demonstrated that he lacks the maturity, strategic
insight, and competence to make such evaluations, and it has cost our
nation dearly.

As to the capture or elimination of al Qaeda's secondary leadership, that
doesn't mean much as long as new generations of leaders arise to make
video tapes of themselves cutting off the heads of any American they can
get their hands on, and, more important, rallying new forces from
populations all too vulnerable to their appeals. Bush is not bad at
cutting heads off of a Hydra, but he has neither the patience nor the wit
to burn the source from which new heads are sprouting.


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