New Column: The Irrationality and Recklessness of Appeasement

David Limbaugh ^ | 6/2 | David Limbaugh

[Mikmur]

For those of you who may be queasy about the way the Bush administration is approaching and prosecuting the War on Terror I invite you to consider, for purposes of contrast, the mindset toward foreign policy that springs from the worldview of liberalism. It's obvious that Friedman instinctively believes the terrorists over the military that we are indeed systematically torturing prisoners.

But the thrust of Friedman's argument is not the veracity of the reports of torture, but their "toxic effect on us -- inflaming sentiments against the U.S. all over the world and providing recruitment energy on the Internet for those who would do us ill."

Friedman says we should put on trial the prisoners we have evidence against and "then simply let the rest go home or to a third country." Some may come back to "haunt us" he admits, but "I would rather have a few more bad guys roaming the world than a whole new generation."

But, Tom, the terrorists don't need more fodder for recruitment purposes. They have plenty of ammo to generate hatred apart from spreading false stories about us. But assuming your analysis is correct, wouldn't your energy be better spent in turning it back on your comrades in the media?

If anti-American stories -- whether true or not -- are what stir up Arab sentiment against us, then why no outrage at Newsweek for stoking the flames of hatred among Muslims against us? Why no horror at the Left's constant depiction of President Bush as deliberately fabricating our reasons for attacking Iraq?

Friedman, like many of his colleagues on the Left, simply believe that we can talk and behave ourselves out of this war, if we can just prove to terrorists and the rest of the world that we are nice and peaceful people.

Thank God these appeasers aren't running the War on Terror. And God help us if they ever do.

[Mikmur]

Good story here.

[kenavi]

Just a total lack of common sense. Thanks for this article.

[RetiredArmy]

inflaming sentiments against the U.S. all over the world and providing recruitment energy on the Internet for those who would do us ill.

Well, he is right about that. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper in the USA, watch any TV channel other than Fox, go to DU type web sites. Yup. Plenty of recruitment energy being provided by all of those. And, they are suppose to be Americans.

[kaktuskid]

inflaming sentiments against the U.S. all over the world and providing recruitment energy on the Internet for those who would do us ill.

Whic is why we need WWII-style censorship (we are fighting a culture as fanatical as the Nazis/Imperial Japan)

[RetiredArmy]

Yup, know what you mean. Also, a Russian immigrant woman in our office here, who came to the USA to be one of those mail order brides, since divorced her American husband, quickly married a Lebanese guy here (legal or illegal I don't know). But they just had a kid. Part of his name is: Jihad. Now, go figure.

[alpowolf]

Unfortunately Mr. Limbaugh doesn't understand the nature of this war. How we behave is in fact of paramount importance because in this kind of war, the most important aspect of the war is the moral aspect.

He would do well to read The Sling and The Stone--On War in the 21st Century. The author (Thomas Hammes) is no weenie liberal but is a Marine Corps colonel who has written an important book on modern warfare.

He should also look into the writings of William Lind and Martin van Creveld.