[link|http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/29/sprj.irq.terrorist.capture/|Why, he was just a freedom fighter fighting to protect his native dirt].

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senior Bush administration officials Tuesday said a member of an al Qaeda-affiliated terror group operating in Iraq has been captured by U.S. forces.

Sources said the individual is a member of a group operating in western Baghdad under the leadership of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, a Jordanian believed by the United States to have been the mastermind behind the assassination of American diplomat Lawrence Foley in Amman last October.

I say:

This is one of the early ones, from last April. But no, he wasn't a terrorist, right? He's just as non-terrorist as all the later ones, right? Just because someone belongs to al Qaeda doesn't make him a terrorist, right? No, he's a freedom fighter. He's a humanitarian. He's kind to animals, and a great dancer.

No terrorists in Iraq. Nope. Not even one. All those people who look and kill like terrorists and belong to terrorist organizations can't possibly be terrorists, because we all know there aren't any terrorists in Iraq. Must be something else then.

I've got it! They're avocados! No wait. They're snow tires! No, no. They're... turkey basters!

These people who are trying to get revenge for the loss of their Mesopotamian empire are the very ones who were terrorists or supporters of same all along. Not only within their empire, but elsewhere. You're trying to make a distinction that just doesn't exist.

Next you'll be calling them freedom fighters. They fight for the freedom to slaughter their neighbors, try to bring down American skyscrapers and pay off suicide bombers. The freedom to deny freedom to others is a zero-sum game. And they lost. So there.

We're not floundering. We're going where the enemy is. And we're scaring others who would have liked to be a threat (Quadaffi.) And we're encouraging those who want democracy in Iran (let's hope we follow through on that implied promise!) Even in Syria, another murderous Baathist state, a few dare to protest for freedom. We're gaining ground everywhere except Europe, and frankly, that's Europe's fault. You call this floundering? It's the best we've ever done! Since this all started at the Munich Olympics, this is by far the greatest rate of forward motion yet. We're ripping terrorism out by the root. Beats the hell out of hiding behind the barricades at home and sucking our thumbs.

Get a grip.

I have to ask: just what exactly would you *not* consider floundering? And does it violate the laws of physics in any way?

I'm not saying we shouldn't have the best defenses possible at home. I'm saying that's not enough. Kerry seems to think it's enough. That's a dangerous attitude. He's for letting them alone to grow stronger, and then they'll attack from a whole new direction. It'll be as unforeseeable as the specifics of the 9/11 attack were. No beefed up port security is going to save us from a dirty bomb or an aerosol weapon or a nuke. Given the right wind direction, none of these things even have to get that close.

After we've wiped out the current nests of Islamic terrorism, we're going to have to deal with Eurabia, land of French nukes and Arab fanatics. Thanks, Spain. Our need for a missile defense has just grown tremendously. And we're gonna have to storm those damn beaches in Normandy again, this time in radiation gear. The robots won't likely be ready in time.