The Opinionated Bastard

Because I refuse to be spoon fed by the media, I subscribe to the DOD, State Department, and White House mailing lists that send out transcripts of briefings and interviews by administration officials. Recently, I received this, which has to be one of the best descriptions of the administrations strategy in the War on Terror I’ve read.

The key insight President Bush seems to have had is what I would call the Vince Lombardi strategy: The best defense is a good offense. If we react defensively to terrorism, gradually our civil liberties will erode, because the only way to prevent terrorism in America would be to implement all the things we’ve fought against for years in America.

While some politicians (Kerry for instance) have argued that terrorism should be handled as a police activity, that’s exactly the wrong tactic. It gives the terrorists all the initiative and us none. Given the strong sense of liberty in this nation, a defensive strategy against terrorism is the same thing as doing nothing, because too many Americans would be to resistant.

Once you realize how much more sense it makes to take an offensive strategy in the war on terror then a defensive strategy, then the invasion of Iraq makes a lot more sense. Its merely one battle in a wider war.

Anyways, here’s the original text:

Transcript of Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith’s Speech to the Political Union, University of Chicago, April 14, 2004