THE barbaric, soulless terrorists who hacked off Nick Berg's head and held it triumphantly for the camera have delivered a message we must not ignore.
They have told of their insatiable bloodlust, their contempt for human decency, their hatred of democratic institutions that would diminish their grip on the throat of their cowed countrymen, and that only their annihilation will end Iraq's agony. There can be no negotiation. There can be no compromise. There will be no peace while they live.
Their gory videotape, deceitfully offered to the world as a justifiable response to ill-treatment of prisoners by US troops, also shows how wrong Opposition Leader Mark Latham is about Australia's role in Iraq.
Perhaps his vow to bring the troops home by Christmas is valueless posturing -- if so, it is what is to be expected from the current crop of shallow opportunists in Canberra.
If he is being sincere, we should be frightened. If he is being sincere, then Australia needs to deal with him at the ballot box later this year.
The manner of the murder of Mr Berg, a civilian in Iraq helping restore order for Iraqis, demonstrates a brutal truth Mr Latham does not face in his cheap populism.
We are in a war we dare not lose. There can be no half measures this time.
We must defeat Osama bin Laden and his hooded henchmen. We must defeat those who would return Iraq to the hands of medieval thugs who rule by terror and are committed to spreading it.
No retreat
There is no justification, no excuse worthy of a moment's consideration for Mr Berg's tortured end, for the simple truth is they are driven by hate. Hate of the West. Hate for us. Hate that will die only when they die.
The beheading was not a response to the undisciplined behaviour of some prison guards (who will be punished for dishonouring the US military and breaching the trust of the Iraqi people).
These men masquerading as martyrs are the lowest of the low. They are terrorists of the kind who brought down the World Trade Centre, killing 3000 people whose only crime was going to work to feed their families. These are the Godless who invoked God's name in killing 202 in Bali, including 88 Australians on holiday, and who will kill again.
They despise us because we live in tolerant, liberal, democratic and largely Christian societies. They despise us for daring to support those in Islamic societies who dream of freedom and the prosperity that springs from democracy.
These men want us dead. They want to kill our children. They beamed with delight when they made a start in Bali.
These are reasons to redouble our efforts, not retreat.
It is the moment to back the leaders who stand up to barbarism, to condemn those who abandon the cause short of victory -- including Spain and other selfishly indolent "friends" such as France.
