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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sojourner Smith who wrote (7465)	9/1/2004 7:29:01 AM
From: rrufff	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

We can learn a lot from how the Israelis survive. First, we have to realize fully that we are in a fight for survival. Will it take a nuke attack, a dirty bomb, a suicide massacre in a big city, for the liberals and do-gooders to realize that? There is much that I dislike about this administrations's handling of the Iraq war and I question whether it was the best use of our resources. However, once the decision is made to fight, use the most effective weapons. Instead of sending troops into areas as "sitting ducks," use our technology to level the nests of snipers. We can do it. The Israelis do it. We certainly have whatever capability they have. We don't do that because we are afraid of reactions from Iraqis and those who will be critical of the US irrespective of what we do. Our PR in Iraq and with those critics who hate the US will never get any better, until we leave, so why sacrifice our brave soldiers for PR? Get the war won, get Iraq in the best shape possible and then turn it over to a well-armed and organized central Iraqi government, with the UN involved if it has the guts to do so. Keep a couple of significant bases with access and with strategic importance in the event we have to get in because of terror in Syria, Iran or Saudi Arabia, or resurgence of terrorist bases in Iraq. If "they" don't like it, tough shiftsky. We need to do whatever it takes to stop Al Queda and crazed Jihaddists. This is something that the Russians are learning and I do believe the French will be learning over the next year or two, if they continue the secular movement in reaction to extreme religious fundamentalism. I'm sure those who hate the US or who hate Israel will find this post objectionable. Too bad. We are in a global fight for survival against cowardly terrorists. It's time we used our resources, particularly high tech, against these cowards. I'm not posting support for the US administration, which I believe has bungled much of the Iraq war nor for Likud, which has botched Israel's strength by bumbling domestic politics and eradicating any popular international support. As fine as Sharon has been in military and undercover operations, his administration has been horrid in PR and in using their strength in sueing for peace. Israel, despite its strength, has to realize that it will only take 1 crazed jihaddist in the future, to destroy much of Israel. If religious nuts will kill themselves now to murder 20 innocent children, is it a stretch of logic to think that they can't get someone to destroy perhaps 100,000 innocents or worse? Israel and the US can both learn that, using strength as a weapon and as a way to the negotiating table, are not cross purposes. To me, it's common sense, just as using our resources to make a better life for those in impoverished Arab countries, including Palestinians, makes sense, as a good thing to do, but also to minimize the breeding grounds for terror. We can't just hand over money to crooks like Arafat. We need to be open and honest with the world, rather than speaking behind closed doors, publicly praising crooks, while whispering behind their backs. Arafat is a crook who has pilferred these funds in the past. Let the President say it and put together a billion dollar fund from the US and the "allies" for the Palestinians under express terms that assure that the money is used for specified projects with specific goals and implemented by fail proof organizations, organizations without selfish and bureaucratic bumbling. For a billion bucks or more, someone has got to be able to do this. Palestinian polls show that most of the camp residents could care less about getting back a piece of what was sand in pre-Israel. They want, what most of us want, peace, a job and a place to raise a family in peace. It is corrupt leadership that prevents this, that uses fear and religion to stay in power, and this is admittedly not something unique to the Arabs nor to one part of the world.