How do you "win" a "war on terrorism"?

How nice it is to read an editorial that expresses my views even better than I can. That's how I felt about today's lead editorial in the New York Times, "Mr. Bush and the Truth about Terror."

I was surprised and favorably impressed by Bush's statement on the "war on terror"(televised on Monday): "I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world." This statement is the most realistic and intelligent view on terrorism that I have heard from this administration.

Unfortunately, the Kerry campaign jumped on the president's statement, with the result that Bush "dummied down" his message so that it reflected the jingoism that both sides seem eager to promote. Too bad.

How I wish that the Kerry campaign had not jumped on this opportunity to reverse the "flip-flop" charge and use it on Bush, but had instead jumped on this opportunity to move the discussion of our response to terrorism to a new level--how to make terrorism a less acceptable choice to those who disagree with the U.S. Instead we get these silly claims about winning from both of them. Too bad.

Be well, Lynn