Kerry and the Cole

Smash has an excellent post linking Kerry's "nuisance" quote to the anniversary of the "Cole" bombing.

MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR JOHN KERRY is running for President of the United States. This past Sunday, in an extensive interview for the New York Times, he revealed his thoughts about fighting terrorism.

“We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance.”

In Kerry’s world, was the attack on the Cole just a “nuisance?” Does he want to “get back” to the 1990s, when terrorists only killed dozens of people at a shot, rather than hundreds our thousands?

Essentially, Kerry’s goal in the War on Terror appears to be to reduce the terrorists’ effectiveness to a level where he can “safely” focus his attention on other priorities. I’m sorry, but that’s just not good enough for me. My problem with Kerry isn’t that he sees Iraq as a diversion from the War on Terror, but rather that he sees the War on Terror as a diversion from his domestic agenda.

Kerry just doesn’t get it – we can’t wish this conflict away. Our terrorist enemies will not be deterred by tougher law enforcement, a “broader coalition,” or the careful application of “soft power.” They must be crushed militarily, and defeated ideologically. Ultimate victory will require a determined focus, greater sacrifices, and the steadfast will to carry on through difficult setbacks.

Amen, brother. That's the problem a lot of us are having with this candidate. He doesn't inhabit the same world I do.