Well, looks like President Bush has spoken tonight. I don't think that he could have been clearer in sending messages to Americans and the world, that we are a long way from an end to war. According to the contents of the president's speech, we should all be bracing for a wider war. Perhaps a regional conflict in the Middle East.
 
 All along, the Iranians and Syrians have been waging a proxy war with the United States in Iraq. They are sending terrorists into Iraq to confront our soldiers and we are left to play the defensive. No one wants to admit that to be successful in Iraq, we will have to confront Iran. We have to get at the source of these insurgencies. We could be in Iraq forever waiting at the border for these jihad extremist to come and shoot at the soldiers.

 Then there is Iran's defiance to cease and desist with its nuclear program. Israel has already stated that they will not tolerate a nuclear Iran. President Bush has said as much before. So where does this leave us? I smell escalation in the air beyond what most Americans dare to phantom. Believe that Iran heard the messages in President Bush's speech. Then, there is the naval build up in the region that has been going on for months with little to no press coverage. The USS Enterprise is in the Mediterranean or nearby region. This may be a prediction, but from what I know of recent history and the Navy's Flagship, it is usually kept secret as to where it is deployed other than  being a part of the Pacific Fleet. The Enterprise shows up when the U.S. wants to send a clear message to an adversary. For example, when tensions rose between China and Taiwan during the Clinton Administration, what war ship was sent to the region? Yes, the USS Enterprise.

 I support our troops in Iraq but really feel that Iran should have been our next target after Afghanistan. It will be a more dangerous and deadly confrontation and it is inevitable. I just wish that we were not closer to confronting Iran with our troops bogged down in Iraq and stretched thin all over the world.
 
 Syria is of no real consequence in a confrontation. I can't help but recall a passage in the Bible's Book of Ezekiel where he predicts the burning and destruction of of Damascus, Syria. Who can deny that this wouldn't be an outcome in a conflagration with Iran? The question is how it would burn? Would it be conventional weapons or nuclear weapons? I will concede that the prospect of nuclear weapons being used in  a limited exchange is most frightening. Also chilling, in a war with Iran, the U.S. may be forced to use tactical nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the homeland will undoubtedly be facing terror attacks on several fronts from Iranian Sleeper Cells already believed in place within the U.S.

 Seems as if the antiwar sentiment is growing as demonstrated by the horrifying Congressional and Senate races. I don't understand why so many people would like to see us walk away from Iraq and be jeered by the terrorists as weak without the stomach to fight. Looks like a repeat of the Vietnam War. It seems that so many are forgetting that our soldiers believe in their mission in Iraq and want to win.

 The Democrats and their supporters obviously don't care. They want to return to isolationism. Guess what? The terrorists aren't going to leave us alone because they hate everything this country stands for, They want us wiped from the face of the earth with Israel.

 Another factor to consider. Do we want the terrorists to set Iraq up as a haven with control to a substantial part of the world's oil? Now I am sure that Nancy Pelosi and her comrades love driving their cars. Imagine the scenario for a moment. Looking at the world through rose colored glasses can get you killed in today's world. It can get thousands killed as we have already witnessed on 9/11.

 America needs to wake up and see the world for what it is. President Bush made many mistakes with this war in Iraq, but I defy anyone to say that his view of this post 9/11 world isn't dead on.  I think that very few people realize that it is a matter of when the U.S. is attacked again and not if?  President Bush sees that what could befall our nation in the future will make September 11, 2001, look absolutely delightful in comparison. This time we may lose a city.
 
 I will agree with Nancy Pelosi, when she stated that she won't give the president a blank check. He has made some serious mistakes. I have stated previously that he made it hard to get behind his global policy when our borders are less than secure, but that is for another time. We need checks and balances as the Constitution provided for. With that, I am sure there is not much more I will concur on with the best representative of liberalism this country has seen in a long time, Ms. Pelosi.