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One AF Vet to another, you have it a little off.

They don't want us to throw our freedom away. They want us to change into them.

I disagree. The only way we could change into religious fanatics like them, is if we threw our freedom away.

Much of what their societies and religion stands for, flys in the face of the ideals our nation was founded upon. Look at the Taliban - they wanted control over everything, so they could punish people at will, in the name of Allah.

Don't get me wrong - the Islamic Radicals wanted to convert anybody and everybody they can. They made a big mistake though - they attacked something the US could not ignore and they also opened the door for the war in Iraq (I've never believed it was about WMDs, I've always believed that many in the administration wanted to remove the threat Iraq posed once and for all as well as get a semi-Pro American society in the midst of the Middle East).

Now it's a war of survival. If Iraq and Afghanistan can maintain a free society, the very core of Islam will be threatened.

That is why the radicals have no problem trying to intimidate the Iraqi people, trying to scare them away from government posts, from joining the Iraqi police, the Iraqi National Guard, etc., and that is why they have no problem killing innocent women and children. That is why there are so many insurgents flocking to Iraq, because their masters know that a free Iraq is dangerous to their societies.

If democracy can take hold in Iraq and Afghanistan, then the standard of living will rise, and people in the surrounding nations will say "hey, they have it pretty good, why are hell are we putting up with this crap", and they will get restless.

It's the exact same reason why China would love to smash the freedom lovers in Hong Kong, and it's the exact same reason why China wants to take out Taiwan.

From a strategic point of view, and as an AF vet you might be able to appreciate this - if you look at all of the Islamic nations in the Middle East as a whole - by potentially creating democratic societies in Iraq and Afghanistan, we went and setup a big base (Afghanistan) in the middle of their flank, and then we setup a really big base (Iraq) almost in the middle of their rear

India is going to keep Pakistan in check. A free Afghanistan and free Iraq are going to keep Iran and Syria in check. Lebanon, Israel, and to an extent Turkey and Jordan are also going to keep them in check (not so much Jordan, but I'll take a moderate undemocratic Islamic state over a radical undemocratic state like Iran any day). Egypt will mind their P's and Q's - even if they aren't democratic, they have too much to lose to join up with the other states.

As far as the Saudis, Kuwait, and the other smaller gulf states - even if they aren't free, and many of their people are radicals, it's in the interest of their leadership to keep things dialed down as much as possible.

As a result, 10 or 15 years from now, if Iraq and Afghanistan can just hold on, you will see a much less radical Middle East.

I have a child, as well as friends, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They've talked to the people their (unlike most reporters). The Iraqi and Afghanistani people - most of them want freedom. The press won't tell you this, but those people want it desperately.

I have a lot of problems with George Bush, and his lack of Conservative ideolgy these days, and his disregard for our national security, but I will set a lot of that aside if Iraq and Afghanistan can stay free.