An Impossible War

As the war in Iraq drags endlessly on and it becomes even more painstakingly clear that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and as such is an unnecessary and false front in the so-called 'war on terror'; that phrase and it's rhetorical and philosophical difficulties and impossibilities have come increasingly under well deserved criticism.

As many critics of the 'war on terror' phraseology have pointed out terror or terrorism is a tactic that can be employed, not an enemy that can be sought out and defeated. Mr. Bush has conflated this term with actual wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and an actual enemies in the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Going against former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, the House Armed Services Committee, the British Government, and even his own statements President Bush today dismissed criticism that "this isn't a war on terror" as naive.

We're fighting them. And this notion about how this isn't a war on terror, in my view, is naive. It doesn't -- it doesn't reflect the true nature of the world in which we live.

Mr. Bush's latest smear of his critics belied his poor grasp of both the English language and international relations. It also echoed the earlier attacks manifested by Vice President Cheney and the Republican National Committee.

Mr. Bush's remarks appear to have been prompted by criticism of the 'war on terror' terminology levied by John Edwards in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday. Mr. Edwards harshly denounced the 'war on terror':

The war on terror is a slogan designed only for politics, not a strategy to make America safe. It's a bumper sticker, not a plan. It has damaged our alliances and weakened our standing in the world.

Mr. Bush and his supporters have used this bumper sticker to great effect as they lawlessly erode American freedoms and ideals while pursuing dangerous and unnecessary stratagems all under the useful guise of important pieces of 'the war on terror'.

Mr. Edwards and others are right to expose Mr. Bush's unfortunate and damming fear-mongering and to demand a change.