Yes, Al Qaeda "declared war" on us. But it's not really a "war."
There isn't really a good word for what it is, but "war" is definitely not the right word.
They call the effort to suppress the traffic in illegal drugs a "war on drugs," but that's not really war, either.
They call the effort to assist people out of poverty "the war on poverty" but that's not a war, either.
Mark Twain said that the difference between the right word, and almost the right word, is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug.
Our war on Al Qaeda is to real war as the lightning bug is to the lightning. In World War II, the total number killed, civilian and soldier, was in excess of 60 million, including 400,000 Americans.
"Quixotic" isn't the right word, either (too flattering). "Exercise in futility" maybe (no, too benign). I dunno, I need to drag out a thesaurus, maybe. |
