Is Bush (and the War on Terror) a failure?

Question

Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri called U.S. President George W. Bush a "lying failure" for saying progress had been made in the war on terrorism, according to a video posted on the Internet on Friday.

"Bush you are a lying failure and a charlatan. It has been three and-a-half years (since the arrests) ... What happened to us? We have gained more strength and we are more insistent on martyrdom," the Egyptian militant leader said

Now, before anyone starts, I have not one iota of sympathy for Al Qaeda or any other terrorist outfit. They are mad dogs and vermin. But my question is, does he have a point? Is the 'War on Terror' failing?

An interesting diversity of answers - I'll put this one out to the vote!

Answer 1

Bush is an immense failure in more ways that just this.

Answer 2

We need a new tactic in the war on terrorism. Just like we need a new tactic in the war on drugs. The answer to the war on drugs is easy. Legalize some of the stuff, provide treatment centers, and let Americans make their own choices. The war on terror is not so easy. I would not say we are loosing the war. We are being held back by our own petty differences in effectively fighting this war, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. They want our country divided. They know it makes us weak. We could learn something from them. Even though we know that they are wrong, they are sticking together. You don't hear one pitting themselves against the other. THey are united for a cause. We are divided because we are either conservative or liberal. The bickering and name calling will bring us down if we are not careful and provide a more united front. And, this division will haunt us for time eternal. Or until we are all on our prayer rugs worshipping Allah.

Answer 3

How can a failure be considered when the war has only just begun and so far as any military and political analysts can tell, the tide of government and control are turning towards democracy, not extreme Islam:

Afghanistan
Iraq
Palestine
Lebanon

All democratic governments, in one way shape or form. What is Iran's fear and hastening of nuclear weapons development provoked by? A swell of support for SELF-DETERMINATION.

When terrorists live in caves and have reduced financing access and even less command and control structure, WHERE are we failing?

Iraq is going through civil strife that was likely long overdue (considering Saddam ruled with an iron fist and generated decades of hatred within the Shi'ite community). This is not anti-US terrorism. This is a war. One we are fighting, perhaps, with less resolve and military assets than we should be.

Let's remember how long it took the US to get its sea legs under democratic rule and a capitalist economy. This is not a one term operation, but a long and rutted road to freedom worldwide.

Answer 4

well I think the google link between GW Bush and failure still exists.
Seriously speaking
there is no way you can win a war on terror since you are fighting an invisible enemy. I thought the US had learnt there lessons on that in Vietnam but apparantly not. The only way you will ever beat hatred is with peace and understanding .
As a wise man once said it
An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind

Answer 5

Part of the aim of these terrorists is divide and rule .

To see the west divided is of great comfort to them.
None the less, was it a properly thought out strategy to attack Iraq without the suitably thought out means of withdrawal ( retreat ) ?.

It seems to me that Bush made a decision while either ignoring,or worse not seeking the advise of his military command. Now that this enterprise has been entered into.


The web that's spun will become more and more difficult for the West to disentangle from.

Answer 6

The "conflict on Terror" -- it quite is in simple terms Bush's call for u.s.'s persisted militia presence in the middle east -- is the excuse that Islamic fundamentalists use to justify their killing human beings, no matter if or not they're squaddies in Iraq or workers on September 11th. no longer some thing might want to shake Al Qaeda more suitable than an instantaneous and entire withdrawal of yank forces from the region. The "conflict on drugs", on the different hand, even as it remains a remarkable embarrassment to our united states, is a minimum of truly a lot less damaging. fairly than causing human beings to be killed, it enables in the different case regulation-abiding American citizen to be locked up in detention middle for massive parts of their lives for truly harmless crime. Who advantages a protracted detention middle sentence, a assassin or a pot broking? i wish that our era, what our grandchildren will call the turn of the century, isn't remembered for those restrictive and damaging regulations. we favor new leaders and new direction or our freedoms will keep disappearing and the u.s. our grandchildren understand will seem no longer some thing like pre-Bush u.s..

Answer 7

Bush, and The War On Terror has destabilised the entire world. he has lied, cheated, lied-again, been duplicitous in his politics, and American Foreign Policy is tantamount to a series of criminal acts.

A Failure... yes, a dreadful, terrible, disgusting failure, and one of the most shameful periods in American political history

Answer 8

I think it's too early to say. We probably won't know whether we were successful or not for years. Remember though, Zawahri is a propaganda agent. His trash talking indicates a sense of despirateness on his part. It's like calling a kid on a playground a bad name because he refuses to play with you. So always take what he says with a MAJOR grain of salt.

Answer 9

No it cannot be determined. Or what is called known unknowable unknown. It's unknowable! Or something like that. Rumsfeld is freakin mad genius. He doesnt know anything, but supervises a freakin war in Middle East.

Answer 10

Bush is a big failure so is his war, hes not even sharp enough to confiscate the oil we could control