A Real Debate

I respond to my buddy Andy McCarthy (the subject is Syria, mostly) over at the Corner.  Bottom line:

“There is a linkage between the intensity of jihadist fervor and results on the battlefields of the Big War. An apocalyptic/messianic movement of the sort the bin Ladens, Zawahiris, and Khameneis lead gains enormous support when we are either defeated or seen to be intimidated. But the movement loses strength, and recruitment becomes much more difficult, when it’s defeated, as in Iraq (We failed to ask, what ever happened to the divine support Osama claimed for his jihad, anyway?). Syria and Iran are central to the Big War, and we can’t escape it. They are waging war against us, as the Iranian regime has for 33 years, and we can either win or lose. We can’t opt out. They won’t let us.”

We’ve agreed to carry on if it seems productive.  Who knows?  At least it would punch another hole in the terribly misleading “debate” on nukes.