The administration is delusional if it believes that Arab/Muslim states are truly supportive of American aims in the region.  What the administration seems to forget is that we are a Western state.  The same West that betrayed the Arabs, in their minds, countless times.  Creating protectorates in 1922, recognizing Israel in 1947, arming various factions against their governments throughout the Cold War, and most importantly hanging over their regimes by asking them to betray the wishes of their disaffected masses.  Facts are clouded in the minds of the common man on the street in Amman, Damascus and Cairo by prejudice, ignorance and frustration.  These factors make working with these governments difficult.

Most Arab leaders have more in common intellectually with their Western counterparts than they do with their own people.  Still, they are savvy enough to dually speak, in one breath supporting Western positions for peace, stability and tolerance; while facilitating an environment that allows scapegoating of the West and Jews.  Their governments cannot be trusted because they are bipolar in their rhetoric.  We must understand that they are not accountable to the West but to their own uneducated, unstable mob of citizens.  To them survival of their regime is their number one priority.

Survival of our government and way of life is likewise our paramount objective.  Bin Laden, the Taliban and many radical Islamic clerics are fighting a jihad for a G-d that should be feared not loved.  This religious view is similar to the views propagated by the Catholic church in the Dark Ages.  Religion whose primary function was control of a feudal state.  That used an angry, vengeful, and jealous G-d to force compliance of people.  By  miring populations in ignorance, that G-d could thrive and did for nearly 500 years.  It is thriving today with populations who believe that the United States and its western allies deserve the wrath of this angry G-d.

It surprises me to hear Secretary Rumsfeld speak of the tenacity of the Taliban.  It shocks me to hear NSA Rice even respond to the idea of ceasing military operations during Ramadan.  We are discussing civilized rules of engagement at a time when suicide bombers have attacked our country.  Our new enemy is willing to sacrifice his life just to take ours.  Now is not the time for compassion and understanding of their points of view.  Our enemy will not capitulate just because they see a B-52 flying overhead or because our leaders call bin Laden "the evil one."

Bush has until the end of November until Americans start getting truly impatient.  Maybe less until Arab support starts to truly dwindle.  He must draw that line in the sand, and readopt the rhetoric of mid to late September.  We must take the PR offensive and stop trying to "spin" the Taliban.  We must prepare this world for the eventual truth that our bombs have and will hit civilians, but that their chief option for safety is to rise up and fight the Taliban.  That their ticket to peace is revolting against the regime that makes decisions that harm them.

This new conflict is a defining moment in U.S. History, as essential to our world position as WW II and the Civil War.  The main mistakes of Vietnam should not be repeated, ambiguity of aims and support of an instable, ineffective regimes could doom this conflict in SW Asia as easily as it did in SE Asia.  Yet, the true tragedy in Vietnam was not in the 56,000 Americans who lost their lives over a 15 year period, but instead it was the fact those Americans died in vain.  The citizens of this country are willing to accept casualties, even their own sons and daughters, if there is a definede purpose and chance for unconditional surrender.  We must seek that opportunity now, a chance for a victory or at the least find a way to cut our enemies off so these attacks become more difficult and Islamic
reactionaries are isolated in the mountains.

One of you once told me that leadership is not always doing what is popular, but always doing what is right.  There are, in my opinion, very few moral absolutes.  Yet now there is a clear line between right and wrong.  We are not at a time for flexible policy towards the Middle East.  We must be firm.   We must do what is right.   The time has come to take off the gloves as most liberals and conservatives agree.  The time has come to truly fight a war.