Relax. We're a Superpower.

although Islamist extremists can certainly do huge amounts of harm around the world, it is quite different to suggest that they can threaten the existence of the United States.

Prof. David A. Bell, John Hopkins University
Los Angeles Times 1.28.07

Here are some reasons liberals oppose the Iraq war:

• “Pre-emptive” wars are wrong, making us the bad guys.

• War undermines efforts to redistribute resources at home.

• War is a Republican tool for retaining power.

• War is unnecessary, since Islamic extremists don’t threaten our way of life.

While pre-emptive war is suspect, we learned with World War II that it’s better to go after aggressors sooner rather than later. While war takes resources from worthy programs at home, war’s worth it if we face a genuine threat. On the other hand, while Republicans are serious about protecting America, if the threat isn’t real, Republican warriors do look suspiciously political.

So it comes down to “How real is the Islamic extremist threat, anyway?” It seems that millions of Americans, and most of the rest of the world, believe America is a superpower fully capable of defending itself against any small band of terrorists. They believe this, even though the combination of 9/11’s success and the portability of weapons of mass destruction suggests otherwise. Their belief sets aside what we know about terrorism’s asymmetry. Small groups of people willing to lose their lives are able to inflict incredible damage on a society.

Can Islamic terrorists threaten the existence of the world’s superpower, to put the danger in its most extreme form? A few nuclear weapons, or a coordinated chemical or biological attack on our major cities, could cripple the world’s leading democracy, and yes, it could transform America as we know it. Are we right to organize against this threat, and carry our defense to Islamic extremism’s homeland?

Here’s an easy way to answer the question. Do you feel America is run by rational people who have our nation’s and the world’s best interests at heart? Or do you feel irrational people have captured America who will do anything, especially exaggerating a foreign threat, to hang on to power?

If you don’t trust our leaders, then I guess the right battle to fight is the one for political control at home. Forget going overseas.

Trouble is, the leaders are rational. The threat is all too real.