..should they not also imprison Valerie Plame for lying under oath? And shouldn't she lose her pension over the political ambush intended by the (illegal?) nepotism she purused?

I realize that seems harsh, but so does prosecuting a guy for a bad memory about a crime that wasn't.  This highlights the foolishness of the independent prosecutor law regardless of who is the target.

sharp

So American intelligence, utilizing, I suppose, some of the embattled and insulted surveillance, has avoided a major terror attack. In fact, it was supposed to have been larger than September 11th.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that we listen in on the phone calls of those we consider to be tied to terrorism?

Or is it both?

sharp

(Sharp's note: This was to have been a reply to my good friend, Tallpockets, but I wanted to share it with a larger audience. His excellent post is a response to my prior post.)

Tallpockets, I share with you the frustration over the lack of progress and the lack of a vision of the end of this conflict. There's no question that the leadership in this war has been very, very poor and the path to victory is not clear and has not been made clear. 

Still, the only vision of peace that has been put forward is the one of the current leadership, which is to build a free nation in the middle of the Islamic geography. A free Iraq would then, it's supposed, pressure nations in the entire region to provide freedoms and break the grip of radical Islam. The other option on the table right now is to withdraw.

That would mean the end, for today, of the awful daily death tolls of Americans. Though it would certainly result in the mass slaughter of non-radical Iraqis shocking in its breadth and cruelty. That seems to me to be, in light of the fact that we began this conflict, a horribly immmoral decision. And would that provide relief from an enemy that bombed the WTC twice, multiple embassies and many, many other locations prior to September 12th? Certainly not. Rather, in my opinion, it would embolden them to bring a wave of terror never before seen, as "victory" for their form of radical, hate-ridden Islam would be within their grasp, or so it would seem.

In fact, Al Qaeda in America has a very simple message.  Convert to Islam or die. 

And here's where your question should also be aimed directly at the leadership on the American left. Their only message is that George Bush is stupid. That's not a terribly helpful or healthy contribution in the face of the most serious threat America has faced since Hitler. There is no plan. Only withdrawal and appeasement. Let's just stop and maybe then they'll like us again. Like they did when they bombed us all those other times.

There's no guaranteed success with any path. This IS a tough war. It IS a difficult and awful conflict. And it requires perseverance when it goes well and when it doesn't. These days are a test of America's will. And radical Islam's will. And American politics.

I have sons who will be of fighting age soon and I pray for the end of this conflict.  But not for a temporary end leading to a savage tomorrow.  And if someone else can deliver that peace, regardless of party or opinions, I'm all for it.  I'm sickened every day by the American and Iraqi and Afghani deaths in the news.  But I haven't seen a plan of any kind at all on the left to bring peace beyond a few days after withdrawing from Iraq.  If I've just missed it, please share it with me.

In all of this, my friend, I have only opinions without full knowledge.  And hope.

sharp

Al Qaeda announced today that they desire to create an Islamic state in the Middle East - dominated by Sunni Muslims. They want Syria, Lebanon and Palestine (or the Palestinian Territory) under their terrorist control.  Essentially they want to create a more strategically placed Taliban-like government that can propel terror to new heights.

Clearly, the god of Al Qaeda Muslims is a god of slaughter, fear, destruction and hate.  We call him Satan.

So how will the next President and the next Congress react?  Will they only fight this demon where victory is clear and easy?  And if so, what will be our ultimate surrender date on American soil?

I hate the war in Iraq.  I wish it could just stop.  I wish it were that easy.  Another 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died since last Memorial day (almost) and many more than that have been scarred, maimed and haunted by death.

But this fight in Iraq appears to be very central to the war on terror, as President Bush and others have been saying (most recently Gingrich and Liebermann as well as all but one Republican candidate for President).  Al Qaeda said, simply, Iraq is only the beginning.

Arguing over whether we should have ever gone into Iraq in the first place is no longer germane, it's only convenient spewing.  The issue now is, do we win or do we lose?  Are we committed to winning as much as Al Qaeda is?

And what happens if we walk away?

sharp

Dishonest statistics are the scourge of this computer media age.

We used to hear about 30 million homeless in America (1 in 10 Americans).  We heard about the world's ability to provide food for itself running out before 2000.  We heard any number of silly statistics from Al Gore (but it's ok, as I understand it, because the underlying point is right - in some people's opinions).

I'll give you an example of a dishonest statistic - with a sinister goal.

You've heard that "Bush killed more Americans than September 11th".  Interesting.  By that logic John F. Kennedy killed more than 500,000 Americans.

How do I come up with that?  Simple.   American deaths in Vietnam - his war - were about 88,000.  When you factor in the average of 2.5 children per soldier, you get 220,000 innocent Americans wiped out.  When you figure that another generation would have since come to pass, that's 2.5 more children for each of them for a total of 550,000 innocent people killed by John F. Kennedy.

Of course, the math is true but the conclusion is asinine.  And yet, in today's world of hate hyperbole, we have the press blaring headlines about things that have no basis in reality, even if the math works out.

So, here's the point.  Did you hear that an area the size of California has melted from Antarctica because of global warming?  Did you know it froze right back?  Bet you didn't.  Cause they were happy to pass along a lie - a statistical lie.  And leave it at that.

sharp