Florida Today Bullshit - need to work on this one!

September 11, 2006

Our Views: New strategy needed
U.S. must change plan to fight and win the long war against terrorism

Is America safer today?

It's a question that requires an answer on this fifth anniversary of 9-11, an event that shook our nation's foundation like few others in history and pushed us into a new kind of war:

A war not against a nation or bloc of nations, but against religious extremists who have hijacked the Islamic faith and perverted its texts into a gospel of hate and cold-blooded murder.

That enemy cannot be defeated by military means alone, yet that's the course the Bush administration has largely set, weakening the nation's security, not strengthening it, in the process.

Think about it:

After 9-11, the nation was strongly united.

Now it's bitterly divided.

After 9-11, the world was on our side.

Now it's most certainly not.

After 9-11, the U.S. military's power was unquestioned.

Now it's bogged down and wearing out in an endless desert of violence.

That's why the nation needs to overhaul its strategy to fight terrorism and prepare the country for what's ahead:

A long struggle akin to the Cold War, where intelligence-gathering is the key, strong allies are essential, military force is carefully and wisely used and America's fundamental promise of human rights and justice is rekindled as a beacon to the world.

Here are several steps to accomplish those goals:

Phased withdrawal from Iraq

Iraq is a war that should never have been fought and which has been grossly mismanaged every step of the way.

The catastrophic blunders have left the U.S. stuck in a quagmire defined by an all-but-declared civil war, unrelenting insurgent attacks and more than 2,700 U.S. troops killed and nearly 20,000 wounded.

A solution has long been out of American hands, and it's time Iraqis determine their own fate and provide their own security. We cannot do it for them.

The U.S. should begin a phased withdrawal of its troops -- something a growing number of even pro-war conservative Republicans are supporting -- to remove itself from a country where it's seen as a hostile occupier.

That would allow U.S. forces to rebuild and be prepared to meet future threats through tailored military action, not reckless wholesale invasion.

It's all about intelligence

More than anything, gathering intelligence is the most important weapon in fighting terrorism.

To be sure, gains have been made in the U.S. between the CIA, FBI and other agencies. But there are still too many turf wars and a stronger emphasis must continue to be placed on cooperation.

A major element of that involves building a larger network of human spies who can infiltrate al-Qaida cells and provide the kind of information that led to the recent arrest of would-be suicide plane-bombers in England.

To that end, hand-in-hand work with foreign intelligence agencies also has to be a top priority.

Furthermore, terror suspects held by U.S intelligence agencies or any arm of the government should be covered by the Geneva Conventions, never tortured or abused and given trials in accordance with accepted principles of U.S. law.

Improving homeland security

One of the greatest fears today remains the possibility of a terrorist someday slipping into the country with a dirty bomb tucked in his suitcase.

However, our ports remain highly vulnerable to infiltration with only a miniscule portion of cargo containers checked. Our borders, particularly with Mexico, also need to be strengthened with more manpower and high-tech surveillance.

In yet another area, nuclear power and chemical plants remain far too vulnerable because the Iraq war has siphoned money for protecting the home front.

All of that must change quickly, along with something else:

The White House should obey the law and obtain warrants in domestic spying cases, thereby protecting civil liberties while giving the government the ability it needs to track terror suspects on American soil.

Achieving energy independence

The U.S. will continue to be held hostage by the Middle East until it ends its addiction to the region's oil.

As a result, our national security demands that America embark on a massive program to mandate high-mileage conservation in vehicles and develop alternative energy sources to give us true energy independence.

Anything less aids our enemies.

For example, the money we pay for Mideast oil goes to repressive regimes such as Saudi Arabia that then provide cash to mullahs and schools that preach Islamic extremism, creating a never-ending stream of jihadist recruits.

We are paying for our own assassins, and it's an insane policy that must end.

There are many other aspects of the war on terror that demand revision, not the least of which is finally bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.

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