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Coolness: Well, this should go without saying. We as a people should keep it together and realize that when you're fighting an enemy who hides and targets the vulnerable, you will be hit. It's just a matter of when. It will be sad, and fingers will be pointed. I think it's amazing we haven't actually had another 9/11.

Resolve: Again, we have to admit that some short-term sacrifice in the way of conveniences, etc., is inevitable. The government and military, meanwhile, need to plan for the long term and realize that as we win battles, we'll lose some, too, and those will be demoralizing, whether it's metaphorical (not being able to bring shampoo onto airplanes, which it's OK to take as a battle) or literal (another 9/11, God forbid). This is no time to go soft or worry about popularity.

Stamina: This is going to be a long war. LONG. We need to cut the people fighting this war some slack as long as there's reason for hope, and they have to resist the urge to make symbolic but empty gestures -- as important as symbolism is -- if they divert resources from the long-term struggle.

Now, I don't know if the writer meant all that, but it's pretty simple to me. I think it's possible to write a column like this and not be a total kook, though clearly the writer didn't (and possibly is).

Now, I don't know if the writer meant all that, but it's pretty simple to me.

I was being sarcastic. I guess I should have used /sarc.

My point was, we ARE doing all that!

I suspect this particular war is closer to home than many wish to recognize.

I say this not because of mass open attacks in full view of the public, but because the same occultic saaviness which is accrued by many brotherhoods in the west is observable in the thinking, behavior, and proven activities of a greater Islamic front.

Such obfuscation of ulterior motives by Islamic extremists are intuitively sensed by those with wherewithal in the US and West, both on the conservative and liberal sides of the political spectrum.

If the left astutely perceived that threat, they wouldn't use their power to deny its existence, but would find conservatives to better meet their interests than the Islamic extremists.

Unless, of course, there might already exist real brotherhood type ties between international socialism and Islamic extremism, making it merely another tool for them to manipulate. As history unfolds, and power structures follow specific authorities, the latter case IMHO has possible credibility.