Wars about winning, not their duration

Meredith Bettcher's Oct. 5 letter said the war in Iraq has been going on too long. Wars generally continue until one side wins.

Jihadists take a solemn oath to Allah, to establish a Taliban-style world government, and eradicate freedom and self-determination. To do that, they have to replace the U.S., and will keep fighting for generations if necessary.

More Americans are being murdered in Washington, D.C., than are being killed in Iraq.

Iraqis know what is at stake in this war, and don't want a "withdrawal" until they can defeat the terrorists and defend themselves against Iran.

They blame Osama bin laden and the jihadists for the carnage, much as we should. The Muslim world, by and large, hasn't answered bin Laden's call for this jihad.

Of 1.5 billion Muslims, only 10,000 or so are fighting in Iraq, plus another 10,000 or so distributed all over the world.

Since they think Allah controls everything and the coalition has a 30-to-1 "kill ratio," most Muslims feel Allah disapproves of the jihad.

That would reverse if we pulled out before Iraq was ready.

Muslims would correctly see that as a tremendous victory for the jihad and a tremendous defeat for the U.S. Muslims would feel Allah had approved the jihad.

Iraq is the focus of the fighting now, but Bettcher should expect that focus to shift here if we withdraw. Bettcher also should expect countries that have been supportive of the jihad -- China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, etc. -- to give jihadists weapons and aid jihadists in every way possible.

She might ponder what her life would be like under a Taliban-style government.

There would be no schooling, employment or even driver's licenses for women. Women would be viewed as property.

A wife being beaten by her husband would be viewed as "receiving suitable punishment."

Many other things would change. too. There would be no music. Women would have to be covered from head to toe whenever outside the house.

A hand would be amputated for theft. Homosexuals and adulterers would be executed.

Wahhabism would be the only faith allowed.

All others, including other Muslims, would have the "opportunity" (Ahmadinejad's term) to adopt their faith and join the jihad. Declining that "opportunity" would result in slavery or beheading.

We all want the war to end, as soon as the jihad is defeated.

During World War II, families hung banners in their windows with a blue star for each family member in the war, and a gold star for each family member who had been killed fighting for unconditional surrender.

Americans knew why they were fighting then.

Peter G. Malone

St. Charles