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Has Bush got the name right?

Reader comment on item: [President Bush and] Naming the Enemy

Submitted by Anthony Chase (United States), Aug 17, 2004 at 05:03

I agree with the sentiment behind your comments on George Bush's most recent effort to name the opponent in the war on terrorism. But I am surprised you do not see his most recent effort - the long and awkward and ambiguous reference being played on comedy shows like John Stewart's - as a step backwards, rather than a step forward.

Don't you think that Bush has seized upon the the reference in the 9/11 Report to "ideology" as a way of AVOIDING mentioning RELIGION? The truth is that much of the Arab world to the contrary notwithstanding, the United States is NOT engaged in a war on Islam. The US is only at war with that portion of Islam which, well, frankly, rejects the separation of church and state. That is a sticky proposition for Bush since his core political constituency in this country includes Americans who, similarly, reject the separation of church and state.

Thus Bush has spent several years trying to ESCAPE any reference to Islamic terrorists as ISLAMIC terrorists. This point is made in THE AGE OF SACRED TERROR, IMPERIAL HUBRIS, Tommy Franks' book, the 9/11 Report, and so forth. Under Bush's current definition of the enemy, most of the world outside of Europe and the U.S. falls within our sights. Americans know better and you should too.

Consider one last observation: the gap between Israel's definition of the enemy and ours is enormous. Why should that be so? I think the Israelis are on the right track...

Tony Chase
Submitting....

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Reader comments (28) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1do muslims and islamists follow a different doctrine? [93 words]XavierNov 4, 2005 06:4227769
Aren't Islamists true Muslims according to the Koran? [467 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
William KarkowAug 29, 2004 20:1016574
Must expose the brutality [104 words]S.C.PandaAug 25, 2004 06:1616485
"Does President Bush Really Get It Yet?" [262 words]Ms Judy KeckAug 24, 2004 21:1516475
Ideological war [65 words]D. ConnellAug 24, 2004 09:1916468
Islamo-fascism [61 words]Prof. Victor DanushevskyAug 23, 2004 22:3616465
Identifying Enemies of Democracy [16 words]John Randall PeacherAug 23, 2004 04:0816463
U.N. Role [54 words]F. WexAug 22, 2004 17:4716462
Fellow travellers [242 words]David and Valerea ThomasAug 21, 2004 00:0316451
Another related enemy [117 words]John P ReynoldsAug 20, 2004 22:1416450
Where are they? [45 words]Frank van DeventerAug 20, 2004 17:3316449
Words [147 words]William StenwickAug 20, 2004 13:5116448
The Awakenig [139 words]R MckeeAug 20, 2004 12:0816447
ISLAMISTS [76 words]jaime eisenAug 20, 2004 08:3916445
It's About Time [180 words]Carl BossieuxAug 19, 2004 13:3416434
Very nice article [53 words]BernardzAug 18, 2004 02:4116414
Huntington was right the first time! [197 words]Mike LallatinAug 17, 2004 20:5316409
The truth of Islamic Fascism [526 words]Arlinda DeAngelisAug 17, 2004 19:4816407
Murderers [36 words]F.B.WexelbaumAug 17, 2004 14:5916402
Naming the Enemy [219 words]Geoff GAug 17, 2004 12:4416401
The Term Islamist - Is It the Issue? [172 words]Ira KatzAug 17, 2004 12:1416397
Defining the enemy [289 words]Allen WeingartenAug 17, 2004 12:0916395
Political correctness is tying our hands [68 words]SaeelAug 17, 2004 11:1916392
What's in a "Name!" [214 words]M RothchildAug 17, 2004 09:3816390
Religion is antithetical to life as a human. [72 words]Ralph C. Whaley MDAug 17, 2004 08:3516387
Importance of your work [91 words]Flora SteinmanAug 17, 2004 07:5216386
1Not extremists and not fringe [83 words]Moshe DarAug 17, 2004 05:1816385
Has Bush got the name right? [253 words]Anthony ChaseAug 17, 2004 05:0316384

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