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snipped from excellent article by Joe Mariani:

It's clear that Afghanistan and Iraq were the first parts of an overall strategy to confront nations that sponsor global terror, a strategy that John Kerry would not energetically pursue. Iran is the primary sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East. Once both Afghanistan and Iraq are firmly under the control of their own people, our allies will surround Iran. If Iran continues to harbor and sponsor terrorists and build nuclear weapons, we will only need to blockade the Straits of Hormuz -- their main transportation route for oil exports -- for their economy to be in danger of collapse. The only cure for terrorism is democratic reform, and Iran is already on the verge of a democratic revolution. Once Iran gives up its sponsorship of global terror and pursuit of banned weapons, North Korea will have lost all of its main customers for illegal weapons and partners in proliferating nuclear knowledge -- Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Iran. With no outlet for its only exports, North Korea's economy will also face collapse, unless they fully dismantle their nuclear weapons programs.

That's the path President Bush has put us on -- a path that will lead to a safer world in the long run, though it will not be easy or quick. He told us so right from the beginning, if you were listening. On 20 September 2001, President Bush told the nation:

"Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated... We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest. And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."

President Bush is fighting terror with a long-term comprehensive strategy, like a game of chess. John Kerry is planning to fight terrorism like a game of checkers -- make a move, see how your opponent responds, react to his move. Kerry would fight a defensive war, concentrating on reactive strategies like searching incoming ships and increasing funding to those who would respond to the carnage of an attack. While those are good ideas in any case, no amount of money or manpower can possibly search all incoming ships, nor patrol every inch of our huge borders. No matter how high we build the walls around our country, it would only take one clever or lucky terrorist to debase all the defenses we can create. The only effective way to fight terrorism is to convince the nations that support it to stop. Or else.

http://www.mensnewsdaily.com/archive/m-n/mariani/2004/mariani103104.htm