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Originally posted by: GundarkHunter
The simple answer to all of this goes much deeper than Bush. As the largest free state in the world, the US has taken on the role of "defender of freedom" whether the rest of us like it or not. Most of us thought that after Vietnam that the US should know better, but it still hasn't figured it out. This attitude has created a lot of animosity, which finally reached fever pitch with 9/11. Instead of realising that backing down and admitting that it can't solve all the world's probelms by itself, the Bush administration, in the name of the US, has instituted a holy war on terrorism and enlisted as many other countries as are willing to believe that this is a good cause, when the best answer is really to allow a Darwinian system of natural selection to sort things out. By the way, that last comment was satirical; I don't know what the best solution is to the problems of bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, but it sure as hell isn't the current course.
The terrorists hate us because we are free and because we support Israel. They hate us because we aren't a corrupt Islamic pseudo-theocracy. No amount of backing down or waving the white flag will stop them from wanting us dead. And it is apalling that you suggest we should have done nothing in response to 9-11. You obviously have no idea what your talking about. Surrender--backing down, running away--is not an option and never was. We backed down around every corner in the Clinton administration and still got attacked. If we run they are simply emboldened.