Naming the Enemy

In this short essay by Daniel Pipes we find that President Bush has finally used the term "Islamic Extremists." And it's about time. The whole notion of a "war on terror" makes about as much sense as the Bears launching a "war against the field goal." We are not at war against a tactic. We are at war against an evil political and religious ideology which uses terror as one of its tactics. To fight it effectively we need to name it by its proper name. And we need to look at it with open eyes and identify both its goals and strategy clearly and without sentimentality. Only by doing so can we be properly prepared to fight against an enemy which is both ruthless and completely evil.