WE ARE AT WAR

"We are at war", President Obama said while announcing a series of steps taken in the aftermath of the failed Christmas Day bombing of an airliner over Detroit. Glad to hear it, Mr. President, but I wonder if you really believe it now, or are just saying it to provide yourself some political cover. During the election campaign in 2008 the question of whether or not we are at war with Al Qaeda was one of the main issues for me, and I think for many other Americans, but we were swamped by those who were frightened (justifiably) by the financial collapse and mesmerized (understandably) by Obama's charms. It is a crucial question. If Al Qaeda and its people are international criminals, then they should be hunted down by policemen, arrested when found, and tried before judges. If convicted, they should receive the appropriate sentence for their crimes, and incarcerated or put to death. This is the Leftist view, and I think it was Obama's view from 2001 to 2009. It may still be his view. If not, it would not be the first time a new President had an epiphany about an issue after facing it from the Oval Office. Only his actions will tell the tale going forward. If he really believes we are at war, he should cancel the KSM trial in New York. You don't try enemy prisoners while we are still at war. If he really believes we are at war he should end the practice of releasing prisoners, and set aside plans to close the facility at Guantanamo Bay. If we are at war he should back up our CIA officers when international do-gooders try to bring them to trial for doing there job (war is a dirty business, after all).

In war, we kill the enemy without trial. In fact, we kill him and his wife (or wives) and children, if they happen to be in the way (the men in the B-29s dropping incendiaries on Japanese cities knew that those fire starting bombs would not discriminate, but would burn them all, the innocent and guilty alike).

In war, we do whatever it takes to win (even when we pretend to follow rules).

If President Obama starts to do those things, then I'll believe him, but not before.