The above statement reflects either incredible stupidity or extreme naivete. Apparently, only the navel gazers in Washington have yet to notice that the war on drugs is an abysmal failure. I hope this administration doesn't plan to duplicate it.
I'm afraid the proposed "war on terrorism" (if, indeed, it will be as far-reaching as we are told ) will only serve to create more terrorists, while suppressing more of our civil liberties, including the right of peaceful citizens to enjoy their privacy without fear of government surveillance. Does this government seriously believe that it can find and root out every single terrorist network? Is such a lofty objective possible or even practical?
As in the novel 1984 by George Orwell, it looks as though this nation is readying itself to embark on a "perpetual war for perpetual peace." Along the way, we are certain to provoke more anger in the Muslim world, especially if we start killing innocent civilians by the thousands in our lust for revenge.
Perhaps it's time to put a gas mask on the shopping list.
(We need to apprehend or kill the terrorists responsible for planning, financing and supporting the recent suicide attack on American soil. But we need to avoid creating a backlash among Islamic fundamentalists in the Middle East and North Africa. Which is exactly what will happen if we launch a bombing campaign against Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Libya and Egypt. Such an attack would galvanize the Arab world and play into the hands of Osama bin Laden, who desperately wants to turn an isolated massacre into a Muslim holy war against the United States. It would escalate terrorist revenge attacks on our soil and ignite a conflagration with unforeseen consequences. We need to think before we act.)