Many of my conservative friends like to pooh-pooh Thomas L. Friedman, but I think he does fantastic work (even if I rarely agree with his conclusions–I respect the thought process he takes in getting there).

I’m currently reading (see the right sidebar for my current reading list) his book Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism. In this book, he makes that point that back when Clinton “retaliated” against Osama Bin Laden by lobbing 50+ cruise missiles at his training camps and (as President Bush is rumored to have said, “hit a camel in the butt”) was the first time that a Super Power attacked a Super Empowered Individual.

I don’t know that this is necessarily the truth because I think of Aaron Burr and his treasonous actions followed by the hunt for him thereafter; but it is definitely mind-blowing to think that our government actually thought this foolish waste of resources would be any kind of deterrent to fighting Islamist fanatacism which is founded upon the total destruction of our ideology.

Another excellent distinction that Friedman makes later in the book is that, while World War II was essentially a fight against Secular Fascism; World War III (or the Global War on Terror) is a fight against Ideological Fascism.

Any thoughts?

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