According to an "analysis" piece from Associated Press, the Administration may abandon the slogan of "the war on terror" in favor of broader terms.
Seems some folks at the Pentagon have noticed Osama bin Laden is still at large. Also, terrorist acts continue. So, says AP, some want to retire "war" in favor of broader terms. And some have figured out that terrorism is a tactic, meaning you have to attack the ideology that inspires its use.
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld tried out "global struggle against violent extremism" the other day
This would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
The Administration coined the "war on terrorism" slogan to obscure the differences between al Qaeda and Iraq. It served well. To this day, millions of Americans believe Saddam Hussein was instrumental in 9/11. And millions of Americans have, I suspect, forgotten who did 9/11 - Saudis mostly, and a few Egyptians. And who financed 9/11 - mostly Saudis.
No wonder they haven’t been asking, "Why didn’t you attack Saudi Arabia?"
Now, with the Administration losing its so-called war on terrorism, it wants to change the subject. Can’t you hear the spin doctors brainstorming?
"What we need at this juncture is something less morphous."
Back to the AP analysis – it’s a service to focus on the Administration’s public relations strategy.