Engage! If you want to win the debate, win the war.

NRO ^ | November 23, 2005 | Michael Ledeen

[nuconvert]

pong

[Williams]

AMEN!

[inquest]

I think it's being taken too much as an article of faith that democracy is an antidote to terrorism. Iraq is functioning as a democracy right now, and yet it's still a hotbed for terrorism. In contrast to what this author thinks is the President's problem in fighting this war, I say that his problem is that he's focusing too much, not too little, on regime change. If instead, he were to focus on killing terrorists, I think the armed services would have a much easier time meeting their recruitment goals. Young men don't sign up to fight and die for a theory. They do it so they can bust the skulls of America's enemies.

[jla]

per usual, you're absolutely right.

[nuconvert]

"Iraq is functioning as a democracy right now, and yet it's still a hotbed for terrorism."

Good Grief! They're in their democratic infancy. (if not their gestational period) They have elections next month. Give these people a chance to learn what democracy is!

The President is focusing on both regime change and killing terrorists.

"If instead, he were to focus on killing terrorists, I think the armed services would have a much easier time meeting their recruitment goals. Young men don't sign up to fight and die for a theory."

??? Pardon my asking, but were you born in this country? Where to begin? You don't think men in this country have ever signed up to fight for freedom? You don't think men signed up to fight Against the spread of communism and For the spread of democracy?

[Batrachian]

There's a civil war going on in the CIA and the State Department, so of course we can't do what Ledeen suggests. Half the people in our government think Bush is the enemy and want to bring him down, not Assad or the Ayatollahs.

Not only that, there is such a difference in ideology between the two parties that's it's impossible to forge any type of long-range policy at all. Come election time, the policy reverses 180 degrees.

[Valin]

A State Department official recently assured me that there were regular meetings on Iran, although there is still no consensus on what to do.

And if the Bureaucracy in the State Dept. have their way, there never will be.

[Valin]

I think the armed services would have a much easier time meeting their recruitment goals. Young men don't sign up to fight and die for a theory. They do it so they can bust the skulls of America's enemies.

The problem is you are looking at this war as a one dimensional endeavor (ie the military). I know many here don't like to hear this but a large part of this war is "Hearts and Minds" & "Nation Building".
As for why young people go into the armed forces, I'd suggest you go to ther milblogs to find out why they want America to stay in Iraq until the job is done.

[inquest]

They're in their democratic infancy. (if not their gestational period) They have elections next month. Give these people a chance to learn what democracy is!

It's still a vague theory to say that democracy will extinguish terrorism. Whether it will or will not, there's little evidence to say one way or the other. Basically, a lot of people are taking it as a matter of faith. But history has shown that democracies can be just as violent as dictatorships, particularly when that system is thrust on cultures that have little to no experience with it.

You don't think men in this country have ever signed up to fight for freedom? You don't think men signed up to fight Against the spread of communism and For the spread of democracy?

I'm pretty sure most of them signed up to fight for their country.

[RobbyS]

You may be right. Someone made a huge mistake in not reducing Fallujah the first time around.

[RobbyS]

And I believe that they, unlike the likes of Colin Powell, know who the enemy is and where the fight ought to be waged.

[inquest]

The problem is you are looking at this war as a one dimensional endeavor (ie the military).

Well, it kinda has to be "one dimensional", if we want to get young men excited to sign up for it. Iraq has to figure out for itself what kind of political system will work for it, and that may or may not be what we have in mind for it. All that is their job. Our job is to wipe out the terrorists.

As for why young people go into the armed forces, I'd suggest you go to ther milblogs to find out why they want America to stay in Iraq until the job is done.

And I agree with them. But that doesn't answer the point I was making. All that gets into is the thinking of those who've already joined. I'm talking about the thinking of those who didn't join, but might have been thinking of doing so. I'd wager a large part of the reason is that the administration hasn't articulated a clear victory strategy to the American people. Yes, of course the MSM and the Democrats bear their share of the blame, but that doesn't let the administration off the hook completely. They say on the one hand, that they're out to kill the terrorists, but then they say, "As the Iraqi forces stand up, we'll stand down."

Sorry, but that's not a victory strategy, unless they really expect us to believe that the Iraqis will fight the terrorists with the same fervor that we would, instead of trying to negotiate some kind of backdoor settlement with them.

[Fruit of the Spirit]

"If instead, he were to focus on killing terrorists, I think the armed services would have a much easier time meeting their recruitment goals."

You've hit on a point that I've been mulling around.

The anti-war protesters (aka jihadist sympathizers) want us to get out of Iraq but they don't offer any solutions to stopping global terrorist/terrorism.

[Lurker]

As usual, Mr. Ledeen knocks it out of the park. It's too bad he'll never be hired at State or Defense. He'd be a fine choice for NSC though.

L

[pawdoggie]

...it was logically and properly a war against both the terrorists themselves and against the regimes that foster, support, arm, train, indoctrinate, and guide the terrorist legions who are clamoring for our destruction. Following the defeat of the Taliban, there were four such regimes: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

If Mr. Ledeen is going to include Saudi Arabia in the list of "fostering and supporting", then he should also include Pakistan. The Pakis pay the same lip service to "fighting terrorism that the Saudis do, and with no visibly better results.

[MNJohnnie]

Yeah, more revisionist history. Just sell out to the Dinosaur Media's spin lies NRO. How about instead you wage the debate on the facts? Point out what Clinton said in 1998? No instead just another "Conservatives" pundit who trys to suck up to the Dinosaurs. See how wise a thinker I am. See how "objective" I am. I shoot at Bush too! Funny how you NEVER see a Leftist waste so much time and ink sucking up to the Dinosaur Establishment spin lie

I am sick of these "Conservative" suck ups selling out their own side. DEFEND THE TRUTH for once.

[nuconvert]

"he should also include Pakistan"

I would agree, except that he's speaking of the Middle East, and Pakistan isn't usually included when referring to countries in the middle east.

[nuconvert]

"No instead just another "Conservatives" pundit who trys to suck up to the Dinosaurs."

?? I've never heard anyone accuse Michael Ledeen of being a "suck up" to the "Dinosaur Media ", and I don't believe he's "selling out". He's frustrated.

[joydoc]

I HEARD ON THE RADIO TONIGHT THAT 63% OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO WIN THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM, NOT LOSE.
THEY LIKE PRESIDENT BUSH.
WHAT CIVIL WAR?

MRS. CLINTON (SATAN) AND THE MAGIC NEGRO!!!!
DOWN WITH BOTH.
SATAN BELIEVES SHE’S ENTITLED TO BE PRESIDENT AND THE MAGIC NEGRO THINKS THE WHITE PEOPLE FEEL BADLY BECAUSE A LONG TIME AGO THE BLACKS WERE ENSLAVED. ERGO OBAMA SHOULD BE PRESIDENT MAINLY BECAUSE HE’S BLACK.. HUMPH!
DOWN WITH BOTH!@!!