Americans need to answer a question right now.
Do we have the will to win the war on terror?
It is at once a simple question and a complicated one.
The United States has overwhelming military might and underwhelming stamina when it comes to long engagements.
It was not always this way.
This syndrome was first evidenced in the Korean conflict. U.S. troops showed bravery and abilities where they were greatly outnumbered and outgunned. But the politicians hijacked the war from the military leaders and turned the conflict into a draw. We've paid a price ever since with tens of thousands of U.S. troops permanently stationed in South Korea and with an increasingly belligerent North Korea now threatening us with nuclear weapons.
We saw the syndrome evidenced again in Vietnam where the politicians hijacked the war from the military leaders. This time, the politicians withdrew all support from our South Vietnamese ally, prompting a bloodbath.
Then came Beirut. The politicians ensured our troops guarding our Marine barracks didn't have their guns loaded. One car bomb killed hundreds of troops and the U.S. turned tail and withdrew.
Then came Mogadishu. Blackhawk down. We cut and ran in what was probably an ill-advised engagement to begin with.
But the stakes are much higher in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is a terror war initiated by our enemies on our own soil. If we cut and run again, America is very likely to be seen by our Islamist, jihadist enemies around the globe as a paper tiger.
I don't even think we can imagine the repercussions from such a shortsighted move.
Let's just say it would be disastrous for our national security.
We have not seen the last of dramatic terror attacks on this country. We will be inviting bigger and more devastating events than Sept. 11 if we do not show resolve, if we do not show we are in this fight to win, if we do not show that our will is strong.
Too many people in this country, including those in the media elite and the leadership of the Democratic Party, are ready to throw in the towel in Iraq because of some relatively minor and expected resistance by the enemy.
This is recipe for defeat – not just in Iraq but for our country's future, for our very way of life.
There is no option but victory.
That's what Americans need to understand.
Previous generations understood the sacrifices that needed to be made to preserve freedom.
Do we have what it takes?
The jury is still out, but there are some grim signs on the horizon. Even the administration that began these wars seem to be faltering. Politicians in the Pentagon seem all-too-willing to pull the rug out from under generals who speak out in churches and colonels who make tough decisions in the field to protect their troops.
It's time for Americans to put their differences aside and pull together.
It's time for Americans to acknowledge we are in a fight for our lives and our future and prepare for sacrifice and hardship.
It's time for Americans to remember what happened on Sept. 11 and agree we will not let it happen again – no matter what.
It's time for Americans to pull together for victory and nothing but victory.