When a soldier dies by the hand of an enemy of the United States, it is a tragedy. Since President Bush declared war on terrorism, about 300 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each death, indeed, is tragic, especially for the families and friends of those who died.
On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 innocent civilians died, by the hands of an enemy of the United States. Their deaths are no less tragic. The enemy that caused these deaths must be vanquished. Weakness – or indecision in our response – will only encourage more attacks in this country. We must find the enemy, and destroy it. This is a war unlike any we've faced. It will be expensive in dollars, and in lives. It cannot be won quickly, but it is a war we cannot afford to lose.
The enemy is now preparing to celebrate the attack on the U.S. by honoring their "Magnificent 19." The enemy is continuing its war against the United States, by trying to destabilize Iraq, and by continuing to kill U.S. soldiers. They believe that the daily reports of bombings and body bags will undermine American resolve and leave Iraq to become the new home for the world's terrorists.
Their strategy appears to be working, at least among Democrats. Presidential hopefuls never miss an opportunity to use terms such as "quagmire," and often throw in references to Vietnam. Front-runner, Howard Dean, would do exactly what the terrorists want; abandon the effort, and leave Iraq to spawn new terrorist attacks around the world.
John Kerry, on the other hand, says victory in Iraq is imperative, but only he knows how to achieve it: His strategy is to turn to the U.N.
Kerry's solution is only slightly less ludicrous than Dean's. There should be international cooperation in Iraq, because terrorism affects every nation. The U.N., however, is not the instrument of international cooperation.
France, Germany and Russia are withholding support, demanding that the U.N. be put in charge of rebuilding Iraq. Their position has nothing to do with getting Iraq rebuilt, it has everything to do with saving the U.N. None of these nations has the strength, individually, to counter U.S. initiatives, be they economic, military, or political. It is only through the U.N. that they can hope to combine their power to counter U.S. interests.
Were the U.S. to acquiesce to Kerry's wishes, and turn over control of Iraq to the U.N., the United States would still be expected to supply most of the money, and most of the security. The only thing to be gained by yielding to the U.N. would be to restore a degree of relevance to the U.N. The "gain" would accrue to the U.N., and to its dependent nations, not to the U.S.
Neither the U.S., nor Iraq would "gain" from U.N. control of the rebuilding operation, and both would lose substantially were the U.N. given control over security. Rewind "Blackhawk Down," and take another look at U.N. security, as U.S. soldiers are dragged through the streets of Somalia.
Led by France, Germany and Russia, the U.N. wanted nothing to do with confronting terrorism in Iraq. Neither did the U.S., when Democrats controlled the government. The attack on American soil changed all that. The administration and Congress did what it had to do: declare war on terrorism. That war has taken our soldiers to Afghanistan, and to Iraq – so far. More soldiers will die, and more money will be required.
There will be setbacks. The terrorists will not throw down their weapons and quit. They will continue to do what they have done in Israel – for years. They will do it in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Saudi Arabia, in Indonesia and in the United States, until the United States hunts them down and sends them to their final reward.
Terrorist strength grows in direct correlation with a lessening resolve by the American people. Conversely, the more determined we are to do whatever it takes to rid the world of terrorism, the sooner our streets, our homes, our work-places, our subways and airplanes will return to a level of security we once took for granted.
This is a task for the United States, not the United Nations. As France, Germany, Russia and other nations continue to play international politics – as they did before Iraq – rather than roll up their sleeves and help rid the world of terrorism, Americans can see precisely why we should stop flushing dollars and wasting time through this obsolete, irrelevant institution.