Regarding the nukes possibility, possibly. We have already been hit with a bioweapons attack. I never forget the anthrax attacks that occurred virtually simultaneously with the 9/11 hijackings. Could it happen again? Of course it can.
I don't think time is on our side in this debate.
I agree — and so does President Bush.
...we'll get what you want though. Sit back and see attitude.
I am not saying "sit back and see." One last time: I am saying that the president has taken the brave and risky step of giving both the Afghan and Iraqi peoples the opportunity to build free, democratic societies. We are not likely to know the full outcome for a long time. In the meantime, we have to stay the course. Neither "nuke them" nor withdrawal are options.
I've been watching the world for a long time. I'm used to seeing politicians twirling and spinning like weather vanes. And so, when the President and his team say they have a long range plan, that they don't want to swat flies, that they'll stay the course---I worry that they'll weaken when fickle public opinion turns against them.
Public opinion is a battleground, one strategically valuable ground, worth fighting for. The Bush team doesn't seem to think so.