Bin Laden Acknowledges A Protracted War

For those following along, I think this will now be the third reference to the Boston Globe of April 24, 2006.

The page 1 headline from this day was "Bin Laden tells followers to prepare for a long war."

Knowing that I've heard the leader of the global war on terror, President George W. Bush, say the same thing several times, I "googled" several combinations of words and came up with these three extremely high-profile speeches (no, I don't reproduce the entire speeches, just the relevant parts):


September 20, 2001
Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People
United States Capitol

. . . This war (the war on terror) will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes, visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success. We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest . . . .

Our nation has been put on notice: We are not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans . . . .

The civilized world is rallying to America's side. They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror, unanswered, can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments . . . .

I ask for your patience . . . for your patience in what will be a long struggle . . . .

I will not forget this wound to our country or those who inflicted it. I will not yield; I will not rest; I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people. (End of excerpts from first speech.)


October 7, 2001
Address on Initial Operations in Afghanistan
The Treaty Room, White House

Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime . . . .

Given the nature and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination, and will, and purpose. Today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader . . . We're a peaceful nation. Yet, as we have learned, so suddenly and so tragically, there can be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it. We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it . . . .

In the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths . . . patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals, patience in all the sacrifices that may come . . . . (End of excerpts from second speech.)


March 19, 2003
Addresses the Nation on Initial Operations in Iraq
The Oval Office, White House

. . . I want Americans and all the world to know that coalition forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm. A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California could be longer and more difficult than some predict . . . . (End of excerpts from third speech.)


So, who's out of touch with the stakes in this war and just how long it is going to take to win it? If only the liberal media, the national Democrats and the hate-Bush crowd understood any of this.