So basically the message is: our enemies hate us because of our freedom, our freedom is what makes us different from our enemies, but please try not to actually exercise that freedom cuz it only makes our enemies stronger?
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday that critics of the Bush administration's Iraq policy are encouraging terrorists and complicating the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism.
"We know for a fact ... that terrorists studied Somalia and they studied instances where the United States was dealt a blow and tucked in and persuaded themselves they could, in fact, cause us to acquiesce in whatever it is they wanted us to do," he told reporters aboard his plane at the end of a four-day trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The United States is not going to ... [acquiesce]. President Bush is not going to do that. Now, to the extent terrorists are given reason to believe he might, or if he is not willing to, the opponents might prevail in some way ... and they take heart in that, and that leads to more recruiting ... that leads to more encouragement, or that leads to more staying power. Obviously that does make it more difficult."
Rumsfeld made clear that he was talking about both the international press, such as reports on the Arab al-Jazeera television network, and critics in the United States...
Posted by jsmooth995 at September 10, 2003 5:01 PM
