Blaming Bush may be popular with the MoveOn.org crowd, contrary to Mr. Edwards' rhetoric, there were terror attacks before Bush was President and there will be attacks after he leaves office. Mr. Edwards says that "the war on terror" is just a slogan and not a plan. Well, what is Mr. Edwards' plan? Does he have one? Only his hairdresser knows for sure.Well its apparent that Mr. Varvel can't use the "internets" to find Sen. Edwards clear position on global terrorism and his plan to deal with it:
It is now clear that George Bush's misnamed "war on terror" has backfired—and is now part of the problem.
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. As a political "frame," it's been used to justify everything from the Iraq War to Guantanamo to illegal spying on the American people. It's even been used by this White House as a partisan weapon to bludgeon their political opponents. Whether by manipulating threat levels leading up to elections, or by deeming opponents "weak on terror," they have shown no hesitation whatsoever about using fear to divide.
But the worst thing about this slogan is that it hasn't worked. The so-called "war" has created even more terrorism—as we have seen so tragically in Iraq. The State Department itself recently released a study showing that worldwide terrorism has increased 25% in 2006, including a 40% surge in civilian fatalities.
By framing this as a "war," we have walked right into the trap that terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war against Islam.
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I am here today to announce a new pledge to America's servicemen and women, their families, and our veterans. We will stand by you just as you have stood by us. As president, I will implement a defense policy based on five major principles:
- Ensuring that our military policy is planned and executed to fulfill essential national security missions, not some ideological fancy;
- Repairing the tremendous damage done to civil-military relations;
- Rooting out cronyism and waste and increasing efficiency in the Pentagon;
- Rebalancing our force structure for the challenges of the new century, including improving our capabilities to help weak or failing states;
- And taking a broader view of security throughout our government.
With these steps, we can begin to rebuild an American military for a new century.
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We need a strong military for a new century, and we need one based on hope, not fear. As Robert F. Kennedy once wrote, "Our answer is the world's hope." Our answer is the world's hope. We will need imagination and courage to imagine great possibilities, to create a world where terrorism belongs to the past. We must, at the same time, rely on our heritage: a time when we were admired by the world, where we shared, with generosity and good faith, our ideals of truth, justice, and equality.
Like a beacon, America can once again provide a clear light for the world—dissolving the fog of injustice, illuminating the path to a new century.
Its simply clear that some just dont "get it" when it comes to a modern, post-Bush approach to dealing with terrorism.
John Edwards is committed to fighting terrorism against the US and our allies. John Edwards is rightly taking to task the Administrations use of "War on Terror" as political posturing to promote fear among US citizens and encourage them to make political decisions based on misinformation rather than a critical analysis of how to fight threats at home and abroad. The truth is, that under this Administration we are less safe (more terrorists according to our State Department, and less allies) and the War in Iraq has strained our military and made us less prepared to deal with terrorism home and abroad.
So saying "Stay the Course" and "Support the Troops" and we're in a "War on Terror," all while failing to lead - is nothing more than a political bumper sticker that says "George W. Bush: Because We Say So".
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