Staring Down Terror In Iraq

I

While the death of any soldier is a
have no way of
terrible thing, the toll still remains a
knowing what
fraction
of what opponents of the
really is going
war
had
predicted and hardly a shad-
on in Iraq. I do
ow of our losses in Vietnam.
know Peter
The comparison with Vietnam also
McPherson, though.
falters in another way. The Viet
I have interviewed
Cong never went to New York and
him and watched
knocked
down two skyscrapers.
him become an effec-
GEORGE
There
was
serious reason to question
tive and greatly
CANTOR
the
actual
threat
that North Vietnam
admired college presi-
Reality Check dent during his
presented to us. But Radical Islam
and those who fund it have left no
tenure at Michigan
doubts about that.
State University in East Lansing.
To get out now and turn things
McPherson returned last month
over
to that morally bankrupt gang
from Iraq where he had been helping
to rebuild the nation's shattered
economy. In an interview with the
tin
Detroit News, he said: "There's a dis-
.Arbil
connect between what I know and
Mo$;i
As Saymdiniyari.
what I read here. We're making
"Kirkuk
progress day by day."
IRAN
,
If you relied on nothing but media
liparnarra
reports, you would have to believe
IRAQ
At Rarnacii
that America has blundered into a
A
quagmire that is starting to look an
Karbala'
Al
awful lot like Vietnam.' One paper
An Najaf 12
even made that comparison
directly in a front-page head-
Begrahl,,,
Unim Oast
line.
The progress that
WAg ',"; m
McPherson saw is seldom
5,) 10 km
mentioned. Casualties and
the raging of extremists lead
of incompetents at the
the daily news reports,
U.N. would be begging
instead. Many people are urg-
, ,
.,
for more of the same. It
ing that we turn it all over to
would stiffen the
the United Nations and get
resolve of Hamas and
out of there as fast as we can.
111111kk
Hezbollah, too,
I can't imagine a more dan-
McPherson
because the signal
gerous course of action —
would be unmistakable
one that would accomplish
that if they just keep at
nothing but emboldening those who
it,
Israel,
eventually,
will stand all
wish America harm and want Israel
alone.
eradicated.
For the life of me, I cannot under-
The major mistake made by the
stand how those who profess such
Bush administration was to declare
great love and concern for Israel
the hostilities concluded in May.
I could call for a policy decision in
That indicated -a deep misunder-
Iraq that would encourage its ene-
standing of the fundamental nature
mies
and endanger that country
of terrorism, which is what we are
more
than ever.
supposed to be over there to fight.
It's
one
thing to question Bush rig-
The president's eagerness to proclaim :
orously and demand that his admin-
the war over and done with left
istration is held accountable. It's
Americans unwilling to accept the
another to allow a visceral dislike of
toll that terrorists continue to take
his presidency to blind one to the
on our troops.
facts
and to the consequences of
But in a fight against terror, there
actions
being urged.
are no formal declarations of peace.
As a journalist, you learn to sort
George Cantor, a West Bloomfield
out which sources of information
resident, is a native Detroiter and
you can trust. I trust Peter
longtime Detroit journalist. His e-mail
McPherson. ❑
address is gcantor@thejevvishnews.com

s s

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10/10
2003