The message in the Baghdad bombing?

If terrorism is the murder of innocents for political ends, Aug. 19 was the Day of the Terrorist.

In Jerusalem, a suicide bomber blew up a bus packed with Orthodox Jews. In Baghdad, a terrorist drove a truckload of bombs into the hotel-headquarters of the United Nations. Forty perished in the two attacks, 20 are still missing in Baghdad, over 200 were wounded.

Both were acts of pure terror, massacres of noncombatants. But as the World Trade Center attacks bore a message – United States out of Saudi Arabia! – so, too, did these twin massacres. Far from being "senseless acts of violence," they were savagely purposeful.

With the Jerusalem atrocity, Islamic Jihad and Hamas were paying Israel back for killing their leaders and using terror to say, "This is the price of your continued presence on Palestinian land." But what was the message of that bombing in Baghdad?

It is this: America's enemies in Iraq have decided to escalate, and widen, the war. Not only are they targeting U.S. soldiers, but, by car-bombing the Jordanian embassy, blowing up the oil pipeline to Turkey and the water main in Baghdad, and truck-bombing the U.N. headquarters, they mean to sabotage the U.S. reconstruction of Iraq.

Message: He who is not with us is against us. All collaborators in the U.S. occupation and reconstruction of Iraq, be they U.N. aid workers or Iraqi employees, will henceforth be regarded as enemies.

With Islamic radicals now pouring into Iraq from Syria, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to join the anti-American guerrillas who are daily attacking our troops, we are in a new war.

For months on end before we invaded, some of us warned that if we occupied Baghdad, the call would go out in the mosques from Morocco to Malaysia for Islam's young to go to Iraq and wage jihad against America. What we predicted has now come to pass.

President Bush should go back and discover who misled him into believing the Iraqis would welcome us as liberators and that democracy would flourish in the Islamic world. If the creation of a democratic Iraq seemed a utopian goal before last week, today it is hard to see even a glimmer of light at the end of this tunnel.

Sen. John McCain is urging President Bush to add more troops to the 146,000 in Iraq. But it is a law of guerrilla war that the defending power needs 10 soldiers for every guerrilla. If 5,000 warriors of Islam make their way into Iraq, are we ready to add 50,000 more troops? Where do we get them? What do we do if the Islamic jihadists and the Iraqi guerrillas recruit another 10,000?

A second rule of Fourth Generation warfare, as strategist Bill Lind has named it, is that the guerrillas win if they do not lose.

Our enemies in Iraq – Baathists, jihadists, former soldiers, humiliated Sunnis, religious zealots – need only to keep attacking and killing Americans and terrorizing civilians who work with us to prevent us from reconstructing the country. Thus, the issue becomes a simple one: Will they tire of fighting and killing us before we tire of paying in blood and treasure for what seems a hopeless endeavor?

The difference between us and the Israelis is that we do not live in the neighborhood, we have no desire to occupy Arab land and our survival as a nation is not at risk in Iraq. We can go home.

But if the Israelis – who considered southern Lebanon vital to their security – could, fed up with the cost in blood, turn it over to Hezbollah, how long before we declare the democratization of Iraq mission impossible, turn it over to the United Nations and walk away?

As we now know, Saddam was not Osama's ally, and Iraq had no role in 9-11 or the anthrax attack and had no nuclear weapons program, no arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and no plans or any intent to attack the United States. It was an utterly unnecessary war.

But because President Bush launched this war, we now have 146,000 soldiers tied down in Iraq under daily attack and we face a $300 billion to $600 billion reconstruction effort – while we must combat Iraqi guerrillas who want to drive us out and Islamic terrorists who want to smash our effort to build a new nation for the Iraqi people.

The neoconservatives who plotted this war before they ever met George Bush, and who prodded and pushed him into it, are now pushing for confrontation with Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Their agenda is not now and has never been America's agenda. President Bush would be well advised to clean house of these neocons and go talk to the Old Man in Kennebunkport about what we should do now.

His father may not have understood politics, but he understood the world better than the crazed ideologues who captured his son.

11th Earl, Here is the biographical sketch of Chuck Baldwin, 51, from his website. He is a most controversial columnist and very critical of the current President Bush, whom he considers a liberal.

DR CHUCK BALDWIN
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
BORN: May 3, 1952, to Mr. & Mrs. Edwin J. Baldwin in La Porte, Indiana. Ed Baldwin was a welder by trade and a converted alcoholic. His life story has been played over the international radio program, "Unshackled." He was a lay preacher in the jails and prisons of Northern Indiana for over 35 years.
FAMILY: Chuck is married to the former Miss Connie Kay Cole. Chuck and Connie were married on June 2, 1973 after meeting in college. They have three children. All three children and their families are active, dedicated Christians. Their daughter, Sarah, is married to Alan Baker, a Structural Engineer. They have three children, Emily, Jay and Amy. One son, Christopher, is married to the former Miss Jana McCoy. They have two children, Charles and James. Chris is a Licensed Master Plumber and owns his own business. The youngest son, Timothy, is attending Law School.

CALL TO MINISTRY:As a young man, Chuck had decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. His plan was to join the U.S. Marine Corps and afterward begin working as a Deputy Sheriff in LaPorte County, Indiana. The Sheriff at that time was Cliff Arnold. (Arnold later became an Indiana State Representative.) Mr. Arnold had told Chuck that following his tour in the Marines, a position at the Sheriff's office was waiting for him. All that changed in the summer of 1970 when Chuck answered the divine call to Gospel minisitry.

EDUCATION: After graduating from La Porte High School in 1971 Chuck attended Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan for two years. He then married and moved to Lynchburg, Virginia. He enrolled in the Thomas Road Bible Institute (now known as the Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University). and graduated with his Bible Diploma. He then earned his Bachelor of Theology and Master of Theology degrees from Christian Bible College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Chuck received his first Doctor of Divinity degree from Christian Bible College. He received his second Doctor of Divinity degree from Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. On this occasion Dr. Baldwin brought the Commencement Address to a crowd of over 5,000.

FOUNDER-PASTOR CROSSROAD BAPTIST CHURCH, PENSACOLA, FLORIDA. Dr. Baldwin and his wife met with four others on June 22, 1975, for the first meeting of the Crossroad Baptist Church. The church was organized in September of that year. Six acres of prime property were purchased in 1978. Since then the church has gone through five building programs. In 1985 the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence. Some of the choice spiritual and political leaders of the nation have spoken in this pulpit including Jerry Falwell, Reform Party Presidential Candidate Pat Buchanan, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, Pete Rice, Lt. Commander Steven Harris, Salem Kirban, Tim Lee, Harold Willmington, Bob Gray, Rep. Joe Scarborough, Rep. Jeff Miller, Harlan Popov, Chuck Millhuff, Walt Hanford, Don Boys, Kenny McComas, Captain Eugene "Red" McDaniel, Stanley Tam, Dr. Reed Bell, Alabama Governor Fob James, Jr., Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Constitution Party Presidential Candidate Howard Phillips, Reform Party Vice Presidential Candidate Ezola Foster, Janet Folger and others.

RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting radio talk show called, "Chuck Baldwin Live." This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view. This program, which has been on the air for nearly seven years now, has been highly successful in helping to elect conservatives to local, state and national offices. "Chuck Baldwin Live" is regarded as perhaps the most influential voice in the Florida Panhandle for conservative, Christian principles. Thousands of concerned citizens are being informed and inspired to social and political activism as a direct result of this radio talk show. Chuck's guest list reads like a "Who's Who" from both the local and national scene. The program made its national debut in early May 2001 on the Genesis Communications Network.

MORAL MAJORITY LEADER: From 1980-1984 Dr. Baldwin served as Pensacola Chairman, and then State Chairman of the Florida Moral Majority. Through these efforts many successful rallies and conferences were conducted. (One rally drew nearly 2,000 people during a driving rain storm.) Pro-family legislation was enacted, and Christians were educated as to moral-political information and involvement. Also, thousands of new conservative voters were generated.

AUTHOR: Chuck has authored two books. The first is entitled "Subjects Seldom Spoken On" which contains eleven sermons not normally addressed. The second, "This Is The Life," is a verse-by-verse exposition of the Epistles of John. Numerous theological booklets have also been written by Dr. Baldwin, including the popular, "Let's Look at Legalism." Through his radio program Dr. Baldwin has edited and produced "The Freedom Documents." This volume contains over fifty of the most important and influential documents of American history. No where else that we know of can you find these great, historic documents under one title. Chuck also writes daily editorials that are sent to thousands of subscribers electronically. These editorial opinions are carried by several newspapers around the country.

DISTINCTIONS: Chuck Baldwin has preached in churches all over the United States and overseas, and has appeared numerous times on television programs in Pensacola and across the states of Florida and Alabama. He has spoken (Chuck's Speeches) at several notable events including being the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary of D-Day celebration at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.

Dr. Baldwin has been proclaimed an honorary member of both the Pensacola City Council and the Women for Responsible Legislation. He has appeared before the Tiger Bay Club as well as several civic organizations. He has also been the guest of honor at a meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He was also awarded the Bronze Medal of Patriotism by the Sons of the American Revolution.

Twice, Dr. Baldwin was proclaimed "Minister Of The Day" in the Florida House of Representatives. Recently, this distinction was awarded him by the Florida State Senate. Also, Pastor Baldwin has had audiences with former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Sr. and Governors Bob Martinez, Fob James, Jr. and Jeb Bush. He has also been officially recognized by the Escambia County Florida Sheriffs Department as an Honorary Deputy Sheriff.

Dr. Baldwin is a member of the Board of Directors for Gospel Radio Latin America (G.R.L.A.) in Ft. Worth, Texas, and on the Board of Regional Vice Presidents for Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. He received the "National Medal of Patriotism" award from the American Police Hall of Fame and is a volunteer chaplain at the State Prison in Century, Florida. He is also listed in "Who's Who of the Gulf Coast."

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