When Alfonse D'Amato speaks...people listen...

Bush will win war on terrorism

The president, despite attacks from his critics, shows U.S. is no longer a sleeping tiger.


Does terrorism work? That is the big question in the wake of the brutal bombings in Madrid earlier this month.

The terrorists chose a date - March 11 - bound to draw parallels to Sept. 11. They struck at the most innocent and vulnerable of targets: unarmed people on their way to work or school. And, by bombing crowded commuter trains, they assured maximum casualties.

The blood markings of al- Qaida are all over this twisted, cowardly act. And, by the results of the Spanish elections, the terrorists won the day.

They can only be emboldened by Spain's appeasement, just as Hitler was when Neville Chamberlain tried to buy peace in his time.

The stakes are enormous: If terrorists can sway elections and dictate national policy, they have already won a battle and may be on their way to winning the war.

That is why the determination of President George W. Bush and the steadiness of the coalition are so essential.

On his watch, Ronald Reagan stood up to the Communists and insisted, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Though he was ridiculed by his critics at the time, the wall did come down, due in large part to his determination to stay the course. He made America proud and taught the world to stand up for freedom.

Reagan did not falter, and he was vindicated by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism. Today, it is George Bush's dedication and commitment in the face of despotism - like President Reagan's steadfastness - that will win the war against terrorism and overcome the hand-wringing and posturing of his opponents.

The road ahead is not an easy one. For years the terrorists attacked us with impunity.

Look at the sordid history of giving terrorists their way:

The first attack on the World Trade Center, Feb. 26, 1993. Unanswered.

Murdered American soldiers dragged through the streets by thugs in Somalia in the infamous Black Hawk Down disaster, Oct. 3, 1993. Unanswered.

The attack on the U.S. embassies in Africa, Aug. 7, 1998. Hundreds were killed. Still, unanswered.

The attack on the USS Cole, Oct. 12, 2000. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed. Again, unanswered.

The United States was reduced to a paper tiger. Given its failure to respond to these terrorist assaults, the attack that took place on Sept. 11 was all but inevitable.

But this time terrorism did not go unanswered.

Finally, the sleeping tiger was roused to consciousness.

President Bush has transported the fight the terrorists began back to their land. He refuses to allow them to contaminate our soil with their hatred. He has stood firm in the face of the terrorist threat, despite constant harping from critics who would second-guess his leadership.

Look at the record:

Osama bin Laden and the Taliban on are on the run.

Saddam Hussein is no longer brutalizing Iraq and its people. Nor is he threatening the rest of the world.

Moammar Gadhafi has abandoned his quest for nuclear and chemical weapons.

Iran has opened its nuclear programs to international inspection.

Does anyone really believe that any of this would have happened had America had failed to act? It's never easy to lead the battle against evil in the face of great danger.

This is precisely why President Bush is a great leader - because he leads when it's neither fashionable nor easy to do so.

Just as Winston Churchill led the valiant battle against Hitler, the most evil aggressor the world has known, by exhorting "we will never give in." Churchill did so in the face of indifference and outright hostility from his critics despite the impending danger, because he recognized the threat posed to democracy.

Now, President Bush again leads the fight to preserve democracy.

History will recall that only by staying strong and not surrendering, by appealing to the better side of man's nature, can we hope to live in a safer world.

As President Bush said just last week in the White House, we must remain steadfast in pressuring other nations and enlist their support in the fight against terrorism.

He must appeal to the Iraqi people - and especially to the Shia who are the largest segment of Iraqi society - to build a model for democracy and peace in the Middle East.

The battle ahead is a tough one, but it is one we must fight - and one we cannot afford to lose.