Renaming the War on Terror

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:56 AM
Category: Allgov Blogs

An unusual controversy popped up on Wednesday when the Washington Post reported that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was asking federal employees to stop using the Bush administration term “Global War on Terrorism.” OMB director Peter Orszag dismissed the rumor as a non-story. However, dealing with the phrase is actually a serious issue.

 
Immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush made it clear that he was launching a “war on terrorism.” The phrase was accepted without challenge by most media sources, but those who read more carefully what Bush was saying were immediately alarmed by his choice of words. The problem is that terrorism is not an enemy; it is a tactic used by our enemies. In practical terms, declaring a war on terrorism is like declaring a war on tanks or bullets. By launching a war against a tactic, President Bush and his team were setting the United States on the path of a war without end. This was useful for Bush politically, and helped him con the American people into invading Iraq in 2003 and even get reelected in 2004. But for the American people, the phrase “war on terrorism” was a disaster because it was vague enough to cover almost anything and there was absolutely no way to end such a war. Hopefully, the Obama administration, no matter what phrases they choose to use, will focus on the real enemies of the United States rather than emphasizing the tactics they use.
-David Wallechinsky
 
“Global War on Terror” Is Given New Name (by Scott Wilson and Al Kamen, Washington Post)

Latest News

Can Biden Murder Trump and Get Away With it?

Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

Electoral Advice for the Democratic and Republican Parties

The Republicans have a surefire secret weapon. It’s called the Democratic Party. Given the chance to be in charge, the Democrats, because of corruption and incompetence, will eventually screw up. Since there is only one other major party, if the Republicans can just shut up, disgusted swing voters will turn to them to get rid of the Democrats.   read more

U.S. Ambassador to Greece: Who is George Tsunis?

The first time George Tsunis was nominated to be a U.S ambassador, it did not go well. But Tsunis had learned his lesson. He waited until another Democrat occupied the White House, and he tried again. Playing it safe, Tsunis, in addition to donating to Democratic candidates, chipped in to help Republicans as well, including Rand Paul, John Barrasso and Jim Risch, all of them members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.   read more

Henry Kissinger: A Pre-Obituary

Henry Kissinger turned 100, I don’t wish death on anyone, but I know that all the major media have already written his obituary in advance. As soon as he dies, they will add a line about his death, push a button and these obituaries, gushing with praise from Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Ted Koppel, Xi Jinping and other famous people, will appear online. But Kissinger doesn’t deserve such praise. Here’s why.   read more

U.S. Ambassador to Belize: Who is Michelle Kwan?

When George W. Bush was president of the United States, he chose his former college roommate, Robert Dieter, to be U.S. ambassador to Belize. When Barack Obama became president of the United States, he chose his former college roommate, Vinai Thummalapally, to be U.S. ambassador to Belize. When Donald Trump was president of the United States, he broke this tradition by failing to nominate anyone to be U.S. ambassador to Belize.   read more
see more...