I am in the camp that defends President George W. Bush, as recent posts attest, and especially on the War on Terrorists. I also refuse to accept that jihadism is not, in one description or another, the major concern of the public. Some polls divide the top issue between "Iraq" and "the War on Terror," as if you honestly could separate the two. Put them together, and it's the number one issue in the minds of voters. (John Wohlstetter's book, The Long War Ahead: And the Short War Upon Us, is appearing this month from Discovery Institute Press, with book parties in our offices in Washington, D.C. and Seattle. See the Discovery home page "Events" column for details.)
But America's anti-terrorist program is getting far too little scrutiny. The military is doing fine now. The diplomats are making progress. But the public relations campaign has been second rate from the very beginning, when we couldn't even get our our radio and TV stations up in Baghdad for months after Saddam was defeated. I wish I could salute it now, but I can't.
We have a great story to tell. There are many Muslims who share our concerns about the totalitarian threat of Al Qaeda and the irresponsible policies of Iran. But we do a poor job of helping those voices to be heard.
So hat's off to Gary Anderson, a sometime defense contractor and university lecturer, and The Washington Post for this useful article today. The White House should be taking it to heart
