Afghanistan, They Attacked Us

Russ Feingold recently gave voice to what many socialists have been openly discussing on forums such as National Public Radio. With casualties mounting, and no end in sight, why should the United States continue fighting in Afghanistan? Afghanistan is a terrible country to operate in. The government that was elected with much fanfare is utterly ineffective and our enemy operates with some degree of protection from nuclear armed Pakistan. This is a difficult, bitter war and with seemingly no end in sight. "Why do we still do this?", the socialists ask.

Sigh.

It seems almost silly to have to do this, but let's just say it again. This is why our soldiers fight in Afghanistan. They are protecting us from people that have killed many of our people. They are trying to stop our enemies from killing us.

Terrorists cells based in Afghanistan attacked the United States and her allies repeatedly, at our embassies, the USS Cole, and finally on September 11th. Arguments about how long this war lasts do not bother our enemies. They will attacks us again, with every strength that they have.

Let us pause to remember the victims of these assaults. No abandonment of Afghanistan, no appeasement of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, will be recognized for anything other than the surrender it would be. There is still a war on terror, whether we like it or not, because the terrorists will continue to wage war on us. There is a milestone of progress. It is every day that passes that citizens of the USA can hear a plane and not wonder if it may be hijacked. There is a definition of victory. It is when Taliban and Al Qaeda have ceased to exist - when Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Omar and company are all dead and the word on the arab street is that the Americans have won so convincingly that they question whether or not Allah was on our side, and not theirs, after all.

This is not a war of choice. The United States was attacked, and will be attacked, and there should be no doubt in the minds of any man or woman in uniform about the intentions of those whom they fight and the justice of our cause. Al Qaeda did not seek a UN resolution or inquire about the Geneva conventions when it flew unarmed passenger jets into our buildings. They did not offer surrender terms to the sailors aborad the USS Cole. We avoid targetting civilians, our enemy provokes them. We have have violent and public debates about waterboarding. Our enemies chopped up children in Iraq and beheaded their fathers in an effort to take that country over. They did not read Daniel Pearl his Miranda Rights or offer him a lawyer. They beheaded him.

It's not fair to say that liberals are the only ones that wish they could turn back the clock. We all do. We all wish September 11th didn't happen. We do not want this war. But we cannot turn back the clock, cannot pretend that our buildings were not destroyed. This is a war that we have to win, because if we do not, or cannot, then no one can, and the world will genuinely fall into a new dark ages, where reason falls before brutality, justice is replaced by random executions, education is replaced by ignorance, and freedom is replaced by slavery.