[Delbert]

I agree with you but problem is that U.S. administration does not seem to recognize that this is a religious/cultural war. I think deep/down Bush knows it is but he has to tow the P.C. line. Islam has declared war against the West.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I think he could get support if he said that. People might blanche at attacking every Muslim nation on earth, but if that's what Bush thinks it will take, he should say so.

[yonif]

I agree with you but problem is that U.S. administration does not seem to recognize that this is a religious/cultural war. I think deep/down Bush knows it is but he has to tow the P.C. line. Islam has declared war against the West.

Militant Islam has declared war on US. It did so first in 1979. But currently, due to political correctness as you say, and also the fear we will inflame the Islamic world against us (as if they aren't against us, leadership and government wise) prevents us from doing what is necessary to stop the flow of this ideology which causes terrorists to murder us. The US has not realized this, more specifically it has not targetted it nor recognized it as an enemy. If the US cannot do that, it will fail in Iraq, and the flood of terrorists into the country, the terrorization of Iraqis (through this ideology) and the murder of Americans will not stop.

[yonif]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1112602/posts?page=63#63

[WOSG]

"I agree with you but problem is that U.S. administration does not seem to recognize that this is a religious/cultural war. I think deep/down Bush knows it is but he has to tow the P.C. line. Islam has declared war against the West."

This problem creeps up a lot. My take:
1) It is true there are serious inbred cultural problems wrt Islam and many Arab govts today are antiJewish and anti-West. Islam's 1500 year history is one full of bigotry, violence and intolerance towards other religions.
2) It is wrong to call the war on terror a cultural war, because that doesnt help to define what actions are possible let alone necessary to win it.

Even if it was a cultural war, there is little different we would be doing. We cannot attack all of Islam at one front, each day in the war on terror, we've been using friendly muslim people and nations - from the country of Kuwait, the govt of yemen, pakistan and morroco, etc.; the people of IRaq, etc.

Far better to explain it like this - Bin Laden is to Islam like the KKK is to Christianity. And if you think I am a friend to Islam, check my posts from yesterday, I understand the attitude ... like you say, Bush may know that Islam is more dangerous than he publicly is saying, but is saying 'islam is peace' simply because he cannot afford to lose the 'friends' in the muslim world. The haters already think we are zionist stooges. For us to have a 'crusader' mentality and attack the muslim faith is to spite millions of well-meaning people who are not violent like bin laden.

Divide and conquer. Divide the violent from the devout and conquer the minority who are violent.

It's like with the fight against Soviet Communism: US v USSR was ideological, but we got ourselves in trouble wrt 'mccarthyism' against leftists in the US and it didnt help defeat communism. Had we made it about socialism=communism, we would never have had china on our side wrt USSR or gotten help from european nations.

Our enemy in Islam is the violence of jihadism. A Jihadist that doesnt strap on a suicide belt and kill westerners is just a nutty guy. It's like the difference between Ted Kasynski and your average DUer. Words can never hurt us if they arent acted upon.