By Staff
Aug. 10, 2006 nearly became another date of infamy. In London, 24 terror suspects were arrested attempting to board U.S.-bound aircraft in order to destroy them in flight. The loss of life, had the plot succeeded, would have been catastrophic – on par with 9/11.
The arrests stopped not only the plot, but also the finger pointing and political posturing that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. President Bush and administration officials are trumpeting this as a victory in the War on Terror and even gloating a little. Other politicians and pundits give credit elsewhere or find fault with the operation, insisting U.S. military involvement in the Middle East is inspiring terrorists to attack the United States.
Regardless of the politics, one fact remains poignantly clear – there are still deluded fanatics who want to destroy the West and kill Americans. It is absurd to continue painting this reality with a political brush. It is likely the terrorists do not even understand our politics any more than average Americans understand Middle Eastern politics. Given the closed and fanatical nature of those who wish us harm, their understanding of our country is not only lacking, but is probably downright wrong.
On Tuesday, we saw U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman go down to defeat by challenger Ned Lamont in Connecticut's Democratic primary election – a defeat presumably brought about because of the former vice presidential candidate's continued support of the war in Iraq. Some pundits herald this as a sign the American people are tiring of military conflict overseas and a new course needs to be set so that the United States can foster a more favorable image abroad.
Polls show that many Americans are not pleased with the War on Terror, and many want to stop the fighting. Many hope that a Democratic takeover of Congress this fall and a Democrat elected to the White House in 2008 will bring about a cessation of hostilities. Maybe they would be right, and maybe they would not.
Regardless of the politics, one fact remains: a change in the party controlling our government will have little effect on the terrorists who want to kill us. Just because we may want to take our toys and go home does not mean Osama bin Laden and his ilk will let us. Whatever their motivations may be, the terrorists vowed to bring the West to its knees, and the foiled plot on Thursday demonstrated that they are still committed to this deadly agenda.
Whoever has control of Congress in November or wins the presidency in 2008 needs to be clear on this. Even though we may not want to continue fighting, the terrorist still do, and no amount of political overtures here at home will change their minds.