I concur with your assessment that this war has the potential to change the world for the better. The key is probably American resolve. If we allow ourselves to accept a quick, relatively painless fix, we merely defer the problem to future generations. We as a nation are easily distracted, though I do feel that the enormity of this event will keep us fixated for a long time.
One of the legacy's of Clinton's presidency, one that will probably haunt him until he dies, is that he did not have the resolve to deal with this problem after the embassy bombings in 1998. Not enough American deaths. Clinton, as bright as he is, is easily distracted and he was always ready to move onto the next project. Bush is made of simpler, more stubborn material. I think that he has been shocked to his core by this tragedy and that he will stay the course. We have been blessed by the fact that Bush has surrounded himself with a competent, measured group of advisors.
As for tolerance, that is going to be a critical component of the coming struggle. We cannot afford to offend those who would be our friends. I think that people in the U.S. have become increasingly sophisticated and more tolerant over the past twenty years. While there have been a number of unfortunate incidents, the level of such ignorance is a lot less than it was during the Iranian hostage crisis.
BTW, when I use the terms "we" and "us" I mean them to be inclusive of our allies elsewhere, whether they are Canadian, British, Asian or whatever. This has to potential to be one of the seminal events, not just in the U.S., of our lifetime. |
