this is an election about george bush....., page-7

There are a few other interesting perpectives that follow from that train of thought.

Either you believe that osama and his terrorist cut-throats are waging a long term war to subjugate the western world or you dont.

If you believe that such a war is underway and will be a long term war possibly lasting 30 years, a small subset of the basics seem to be along along the following lines:

1/ It is important to win decisively and completely in every theatre you are engaged in, be it Iraq, Afganistan or eventually Iran, Syria and other theatres as the war evolves. It is especially important not to cede a victory that allows to enemy to gain a large training ground and control over a large helpless and traumatised population or potential recruits, or access to saleable resources such as oil reserves

2/The strategy and location of the war will be shifting sometimes on a very short term basis due to the nature of the enemy and the methods and local strength they have at a particular time

3/The enemy hides behind and in civilian populations to use these civilian populations as both a resource and a shield and to ensure that any attacks by coalition forces result in civillian deaths that can be used to gain a media victory even from a strategic loss.

4/Although western military power is such that a complete and utter destruction of much of the enemy could be accomplished in a very short time, the moral imperative is to avoid unnecessary civillian casualities which over-rides the benefits of a swift victory at least at this time.

5/ The style of the war is unconventional, the enemy elusive and diverse, the enemy plays by a completely different rule-book to you and is constantly looking for any edge to exploit and is determined to achieve massive civillian deaths to further their cause.

6/ The enemy realizes that a major part of the war is to be won by skillful use of the media, and find major elements of the media co-operative with the narrative osama has presented to them

7/ The emeny realises that western societies, after years of prosperity under the safety net provided by the US nuclear umbrella, dont have much patience with long wars, especially when the prosperity and security of the homelands mean that the war is largely conducted on foreign soils in a manner that life tend to go on much as usual at home.
In short, most people in the western world currently have a choice whether to be engaged or not engaged with the ongoing war.

8/ The enemy realise that the democratic election cycle, driven largely by media conducted polls and sound bites chosen and presented by a 24 hour left-dominated entertainment/media complex, and the very short term nature of this cycle and ease of manipulation can by itself be used as an effective weapon against the western world by support of a candidate that offers easy simplistic solutions, but that also have the effect of strengthening osama's strategic long term position.

If you dont believe that the war is real, or even that it is worth fighting, that is you decision and choice.

However, if you do believe any of the above aspects of the war, or even other aspects different to those I have presented, then it does seem victory in this war is as essential for all Australians as it is for all other western countries.

Australians, unlike many Europeans, are generally not the sort of people who sit back and let others do the fighting, bleeding and dying for them.
It is not the Australian way nor is it my way.

It is up to you to decide if it is your way to sit back and let other fight, bleed and die for your continuing benefit.