A Nation at War

The Preamble to the Constitution reads, in part, as follows: "We, the people of the United States, in order to ensure domestic tranquility ... [and] provide for the common defense ... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress, among other powers, the authority "to declare war" and "to define and punish ... offenses against the laws of nations."

Even before the President and the leaders of the House and Senate said so publicly, the people of the United States made it clear, by their own words and actions, that they fully understand that the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were acts of war against the United States, against the American people, and against the laws of nations.
Those attacks should not, must not, and will not go unpunished. This time around there can be no equivocation, no empty threats, no useless--and often unfulfilled--promises to bring the perpetrators "to justice." War against the United States is war. Period. And it must be treated as such.

Acts of war call for acts of retaliation. And for the punishment of the international criminals responsible for those acts of war. The people of the United States understand all of this as well. And they will make whatever sacrifices are necessary--for as long as it is necessary--to wipe the international scourge of terrorism from the face of the earth. Not since Pearl Harbor have the American people been so furious, so determined, so united in their righteous anger.

Those who piloted the planes to their defenseless targets are already dead, along with thousands upon thousands of innocent noncombatants. But there are many others, still living, who bear responsibility for this ter-rible crime against humanity. They also must be identified, tracked down, and made to answer for the 11 September attacks. Moreover, it is not only those who planned, financially supported, and helped in any other way to carry out the attacks who must be punished. As President Bush already has made clear--both by his public statements and by the naval/military/intelligence operations he has authorized since the terrorist strikes--any nation that harbors such international criminals must and will be held just as accountable. He deserves and will receive the full support of the American people in carrying out this policy--which already has been endorsed by all members of NATO and a growing number of other nations, including Russia. There can be no more safe harbors. Ever.

The war against terrorism cannot be a one-time ad hoc operation, though. It cannot and should not be tailored with the exquisite, and self-defeating, precision characteristic of so many other conflicts of the last 50 years into which U.S. naval and military personnel were thrust--unprepared sometimes, and frequently ill-equipped as well. It must, rather, be a comprehensive and, if necessary, long-term campaign to ensure that neither the United States nor any other peace-loving nation is ever again attacked with such unprovoked insolence, such brazen impunity.

One thing is clear: We cannot and should not withdraw into a Fortress America. But it would be folly to believe that we can quickly or easily end all threats to our domestic tranquility--or to global peace and stability. The world of the 20th century was the bloodiest and most violent in the history of mankind. The world of the 21st century could be even more so. It is certainly a much more dangerous world. Today's terrorists are technologically sophisticated, and they are without conscience. They already have turned commercial aircraft into weapons of mass destruction. They would have no qualms about using nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons against us as well. We must do everything in our power to deter, disarm, and defeat them.
To do so will require dauntless courage, perseverance over the long term, and numerous sacrifices. We must take whatever steps are necessary to protect not only our airports but also our seaports and harbors, our inland waterways, and our land borders. We must rebuild our embassies overseas to make them as terrorist-proof as possible. We must rebuild our entire military as well--air, sea, and ground forces, which separately and collectively must possess the full spectrum of combat capabilities needed to defeat any group or any nation threatening U.S. interests, or the lives of American citizens, either at home or overseas. History has shown that the ability to respond, to immediately strike back if and when attacked, is the surest and sometimes only way to deter war.

Just as important, though, is the willingness to strike back. As a nation we must recognize, and conscientiously apply, this most important lesson of history. We can no longer lapse into the comfortable complacency of the past. We are the American people--a people blessed by God, and beneficiaries of the countless sacrifices made by generations of Americans past. We are not without our faults, and we have more than our share of problems. But we are now, whether we like to admit it or not, the world's last remaining superpower.
It is time we acted accordingly.