How Plain Can They Make It

This past weekend at the Munich security conference German chancellor Angela Merkel compared the threat posed by Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the world's lukewarm response to this crisis to the early days of the rise of the Nazi party and the inaction of the world's governments at that time. Merkel stated that in the 1930's, "there were many outside of Germany who said 'It's only rhetoric-- don't get excited', " in reference to the Nazi's teachings and beliefs, and we all know what the consequences of this line of thinking were. In light of this lesson of history Merkel stated, " Germany is obliged to do something at the early stages... We want to, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program." Merkel understands that the Iranian nuclear threat must be taken seriously and addressed now.
In response to Merkel, Sen. Joe Lieberman made a statement that showed real clarity of thinking on the matter of the Iranians in particular and the war on terror overall. Lieberman stated, "From the writings of Hitler during the 1930's and Mein Kampf to the polemics of bin Laden in the 1990's, there is ample evidence that some times when people write and say that they hate you and ... they want to destroy you, in fact they mean it and will try." Sen. Lieberman knows that there are people and regimes who mean us great harm. Lieberman also understands that we are at war for the very soul of Western culture and that we must conduct our selves as such. Lieberman's party and others on the left do not share this clarity but instead seem to want to 'understand the cause' of this hatred and not get too excited lest we offend any group's sensitivities.
Understand that there is no question as to purpose when it comes to the followers of bin Laden and other radical Islamists. These followers of a perverted form of Islam exist to destroy Western style democracy and society and replace it with a worldwide Islamic government which follows Shari'a law. We must take them at their word when they say they seek to destroy the West because to do otherwise, as was the modus operandi of the Clinton administration, only invites continued attacks which will escalate over time. There is a great essay today on The American Thinker which very plainly speaks to these points.
This current war is a zero-sum game with no chance for reconciliation or compromise, we either defend our way of life with everything we have or we give in to those who would impose upon us a system of law better suited to the 1500's than today's modern age.