John Edwards Calls War On Terror A Bumper Sticker Slogan

John Edwards is saying the global war on terror is nothing more than a “bumper sticker” slogan used by the Bush administration to justify all kinds of abuses from Guantanamo Bay to the invasion of Iraq. He says the war on terror is straining American military resources and is making the terrorist stronger. “We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological purposes,” Edwards said in remarks prepared for a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations. “By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have set; that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war on Islam.” Edwards has proposed ideas he thinks will get us out of Iraq and strengthen our military. Edwards had a few harsh words for the Bush administration too. He said the Bush years in office have left our troops exhausted, overworked, and potentially ill-prepared for future threats. “Leading the military out of the wreckage left by the poor civilian leadership of this administration will be the single most important duty of the next commander in chief,” Edwards said. In the debates Edwards was one of four that said they did not believe there was a global war on terror. Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel also agreed with Edwards. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton said they did think there was a global war on terror. It really doesn’t make sense to make war on words. This is like the “war on drugs”, and the “war on poverty.” The use of terror has been a military tactic since the beginning of time. General Sherman marched through Georgia conducting a war of terror, and we call him a great general. I am not justifying killing innocents, just stating facts. One person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist. For us to believe we can stop the use of terror as a tactic is just ridiculous. Being the strongest meanest bully on the block does not make us right, and will not make us liked.
Alan Cosgrove