In the New York Times today, an article about the Kerry organization and his apparent lack luster performance lately quotes the senator regarding the war on terror.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something,” Mr. Kerry said. “We can, we must and we will win the war on terror. And the way to win the war on terror is to fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. And that begins by having a president who brings other nations to our side to share the risk, to share the responsibility, to share the burden, share the cost. And I understand that working with other countries is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Everything in that quote speaks to military might. That’s a rear-guard action. After all, we didn’t really engage terrorists until they killed 3,000 Americans in one day.
A smarter answer would have been:
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something. We can, we must and we will win the war on terror. And the way to win the war on terror is to fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. And that begins by winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. Once the terrorists lose widespread support among moderate Muslims, the war on terrorism is half won.
We must address legitimate grievances such as the Palestinian question and Arab governments that repress freedom.
We must actively seek a Palestinian homeland.
While we advocate for Arab democracies, we respect Islamic teachings and recognize that such democracies may not look like ours but would be embraced by Muslim moderates.
We must provide aid to Muslims living in extreme poverty. Their desperation only helps breed more terrorists.
We must focus our military might where it is most effective – finding and eliminating terrorists leaders such as Osama bin Laden.
The vast majority of Muslims want we want – security, prosperity, peace and freedom. We must prove we’re willing to help them achieve it. Without that commitment, our children’s children will still be dying in Bush’s misguided war on terror.”