[hershey]

Mark Steyn tells a few home truths. However, 'the US forced to suffer the perception of defeat' is merely media's latest rope a dope to drag Kerry across that finish line. It won't work.

[Ole Okie]

'the US forced to suffer the perception of defeat'

Darn, I must be out of the loop entirely. I have no perception whatsoever that the US is being defeated.

On the contrary, it appears to me that the situation is well in hand, even though the obtuse and blind US media fails to see it in their lemming-like rush to elect little Jawn F'n Kerry Heinz.

This Iraq situation is nothing like the Viet Nam defeat - nothing at all like it. I, like almost all of you, have really been proud of the American warriors who have performed spectacularly in Iraq.

[visualops]

You are both wrong. The line says "may". Note:
Such a world would be a more dangerous place, but not necessarily for Americans... The US may be forced to suffer the perception of defeat...

He is speaking hypothetically of a Kerry win, continuing from the previous paragraph where he lists what would happen (despite Kerry's recent tough talk for terrorists) in that event:

Does Kerry mean it? Probably not. The tough talk's a cover for what would be a return to the ineffectual reactive national-security policy of the 1990s - "I have here a piece of paper from Kim Jong-Il," etc. If the media manage to drag the Senator, a very weak candidate, over the finishing line, it will be seen as a humiliating verdict on Bush's war. There will be no stomach for further neo-con adventuring. The House of Saud can relax and resume its buying off of al-Qaeda. Pakistan's ISI can get rid of General Musharraf. The IAEA can go back to sleep and let Iran get on with its nuclear programme. And, after months and months of experts telling them that they didn't have enough troops in Iraq, Washington will realise all the extra troops they needed are sitting around twiddling their thumbs in Europe, guarding against enemies who no longer exist on behalf of allies who are no longer allies.

Scroll up to #2 and read the whole thing.