Change I Could Believe In
Here’s a quick thought that the tragedy in Mumbai motivated:
Barack Obama’s election to replace George W. Bush as President provides a golden opportunity for the U.S. to correct one of the most dangerous debilitating mistakes of the Bush era. In the aftermath of 9/11, Bush inexplicably refused to name our enemy, and instead attributed our problems to a tactic. The grossly misnamed “war on terrorism” obscured what should have been evident for all to see: We are at war with Radical Islam. Or perhaps, it would be fairer to say that Radical Islam is at war with us, because no matter what the Islamists do, we stubbornly refuse to identify them as our true enemy.
As I write these words, it is not yet clear PRECISELY who the Deccan Mujahadeen is. While some reports suggest that it might have some sort of Al Qaeda connection, it appears likely that the Mumbai attacks were not “true” Al Qaeda operations a la the Cole bombing or 9/11. It is nevertheless already clear, however, PRETTY MUCH who the Deccan Mujahaheen is: yet another violent Radical Islamist group.
Will Obama choose to use his new bully pulpit to speak the truth that Bush dared not utter? Or more precisely, the truth that Bush let leak a few teams before retreating behind the saccharine GWOT terminology? Will Obama retire the GWOT, and confront, instead, the true enemy? Will President Obama lead the West in a direction that might prevail--a direction that starts by actually identifying the enemy?
If so, that would be a change I could truly believe in.
Just one more thing to watch as we learn who we have elected…
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