Shadow Boxing: Bush’s War on Terrorism

It is Bush against the world, his war not ours. There are rules to combat that must be followed. Know whom you are fighting. Do not bit off more than you can chew. Well, Bush has gotten the U.S in quite a compromising position.
First, we were to find Bin Laden, then the al-Qaida regime, weapons in N.Korea for a second, and now Saddam Hussein and the weapons of mass destruction that Bush has little proof of.
Bush’s popularity is at the lowest point since the 9-11 terrorist attack, hmm…I can only image why.
Bush has been pushing for war since 9-11, but who do we go to war with. Bush has too many enemies that he is attempting to fight. Bush tries to merge them into one by referring to them as the ” Axis of Evil”- decreasing the broad scope that terrorism covers. The American public is smarter than that. That is why popularity is at its lowest.
Bush has Hussein in front of him, while bin Laden and al-Qaida are plotting attacks from behind. What can Bush do? Surely fighting everyone at once is an obvious mistake. The American people cannot and will not accept the evidence introduced in late January. This evidence simply is not enough for parents, wives, and children to lose their loved ones.
In his State of the Union address, Bush stated about Hussein, ” He has shown instead his utter contempt for the United Nations, and for the opinion of the world.” Bush could not have said that any better, but he must practice what he preaches.
Americans have shown that they disapprove of a war without imminent threat. Bush is showing us utter contempt for U.S opinion. We do not want war!
If we go to war against Iraq, will resulting in loss of life include American soldiers dying in the Middle East and perhaps American citizens dying as casualties of suicide bombers here in the United States? Unacceptable.
Nevertheless, let’s say we go into Iraq and score a quick knockout.
Why does it seem that the most plausible American reaction will be, “Now what?”
It seems clear, after President Bush’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, that unless matters in Iraq change, we are going to declare war.
And if we do invade and conquer, we face the potential for a strange, perhaps unprecedented paradox: a decisive military victory abroad with disturbingly murky effects back home.
That feeling will not be cleanliness, simplicity or invincibility rather fear of back lashing attacks.
Sure, we will have wiped out a clear bad guy, only to find that the shadows beyond him remain full of unclear bad guys.
For Bush, Saddam Hussein puts a face on terrorism. But terrorism is faceless. Therefore, once we dispose of that face, we’re left with – what?
The devil we don’t know.
There is still Osama bin Laden, maybe. But no one seems to know where he is. After that, the list of common-name terrorists trails off quickly.
Much of my thinking on this comes from conversations I’ve had over the past few weeks with regular people around here, people who seem to reflect the findings of national polls.
Americans want to see the U.N. inspectors get more time, and nearly as many wanted to hear greater justification for war.
Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has asked the same questions: Why is it so urgent to go to war with Iraq? Weren’t we supposed to be looking for bin Laden? What about North Korea? Is this war even needed?
Not a single person said invading Iraq was the right thing to do.
I am thinking that Dubyah’s thoughts are cloudy with an economic troubles. I find myself trusting the voice of the common American more than Bush. Especially since he has been pushing for war since 9-11 and war is the quickest way for a nation to come out of economic slump. When so many people’s instincts say we should not be rushing into war, we all should be listening.
War is supposed to remove a threat. But I have a feeling this one will not.
The lasting stress of 9/11 for average Americans are reinforced by frequent infringements on the concept of security.
If you fly, you expect to remove your shoes while a line full of strangers watch.
If you use the Internet, you become increasingly concerned that someone, somewhere, is observing your words in the name of homeland security.
Moreover, if we do go to war, none of these reminders will disappear. Instead, they will remind us that the world is changing, and maybe not for the better.
Peace not war! www.Votenowar.org