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September 22, 2006
Q: What Is Necessary To Win A War?
A: You Won't Know Until Ten Years After The Fact
Good post by Blue Crab Boulevard riffing on a good column by Steve Huntley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Huntley's key point:
Perceiving an inevitability in history (which may not always be there), we see that neither suspension of habeas corpus nor internment was necessary to winning either of the wars. Yet, the point is that in the midst of those conflagrations, neither Lincoln nor Roosevelt knew just what it would take to win. They knew only the catastrophic consequences of losing and were determined β ruthlessly determined β not to let that happen, to do what it took to win their wars. And they are justifiably honored as among our greatest presidents.
What will it take to safeguard American lives today?
Maybe we could win this war by being kinder and gentler custodians of Al Qaeda murderers.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I'd prefer to err on the side of caution. And ruthlessness.
Thanks to Larwyn.