COLUMN: War on Terror not failing, Osama not the only terrorist
The war in Iraq and on terrorism is an extremely important topic for next Tuesday’s election. The left would have you believe that war on terror by Islamic jihadists and the war in Iraq are falling apart and not reaching the desired goals of making America safer. These slanderous comments from the left reveal their ineptness of the left for leadership in America.
The war on terror is said to be failing because we have not yet found bin Laden. This is the furthest thing possible from the truth. Seventy-five percent of al-Qaida is dead or behind bars. Osama cannot put his head out of a dirt hole without fear of being captured. And this is just one terrorist. I am sure that the left realizes that there is more than one terrorist organization that poses a threat to America. It makes one wonder what kind of safety they can ensure, maybe the kind where we are perpetually afraid and therefore dependent on government maybe.
Their idea that Osama is the only terrorist leader we should be concerned with and as soon as we capture him all is well is like saying that Ted Bundy was the only murder/rapist and once he was caught, rape and murder would cease. Of course, this is ludicrous, there are innumerable enemies out there that all deserve our attention. To disagree is to compromise the safety of Americans.
On to Iraq; the biggest stride in freedom in the Middle East since Israel was created. The question still looms over Weapons of Mass Destruction and there are critics who say that they never existed and thus we should not have gone to war. I want you to ask the Kurds if Saddam ever had WMDs; the truth is he had and used them and was trying to get more. The only question we should be asking is, where did he put them, Iran or Syria maybe (they will get theirs soon enough; one at a time)?
To say that we should not have invaded Iraq because we did not find the WMDs is equivalent to saying that Saddam should still be in power. If you support Saddam, that enemy of freedom, then you support the mass murder and tyranny he inflicted on his people. Plain and simple, you are what you are. Liberals who disagree with the war are no different then the thugs who threw dirt on the bones in the mass graves.
Bush did not want the oil either. “Instead of rosy promises by the neoconservatives of the Bush administration [who say he went] – partly on the premise that they would turn it into America’s private gasoline-pumping station – the contrary has occurred.” (USA Today, Oct. 5) Gas prices are up and supply is down.
It is also absurd to believe that the Iraqis do not want us there. The only ones upset and causing the problems are those who live in the Sunni triangle, the members of the Baath Party, who lost their government jobs under Saddam. These Iraqis who are upset are upset for one reason only – Saddam is no longer there to take care of his good ole boys at the expense of the rest of the country. Everyone else is grateful for the freedom provided by the Americans.
The truth is that President Bush realized that an evil man like Saddam allowed his country to be a terrorist safe haven. He even supported these men with weapons, money and safety. It was only a matter of time that he would have provided them WMDs and the ability to deliver them to his enemies, those who support freedom. A free Iraq is a safe Iraq; one country at a time we will make the Middle East a free and safe place eliminating the fear of terrorism around the world.
This is all only part of the bigger picture, however. When America declared its independence from England, it declared a standard unto the world: every man and woman was guaranteed the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and we have the obligation to ensure man’s God-given rights are available to all. President Bush is dedicated to the faithful fulfillment of this goal one country at a time. Syria and Iran better listen up. The rights they deny their citizens and the number of criminal terrorists that exist unmolested in a country are synonymous. Thus, for America to create a safe world, liberty must be brought to all corners of the earth and the axis of evil destroyed.
Jared Westbroek is a senior majoring in law and Constitutional studies. Comments can be sent to jwestbroek@cc.usu.edu.