George W. Bush and "super-sized" war for freedom and values

ow that President George W. Bush has significantly upgraded his ‘War on Terror’, from simply a "clash of civilisations" to a war for "civilisation" itself, it is time to reflect on just what sort of a civilisation we are defending. By any standard, and whether or not the war is regarded as a struggle for land or ideas, western civilisation—or at least, American civilisation—is losing in the Middle East, in Asia, Africa, and in a good deal of Europe.

According to his speechwriter, “the sight of an old man pulling the election lever [except in Florida, we assume], girls enrolling in schools, or families worshipping God in their own traditions… the way of life enjoyed by free nations… for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.”