Greetings. You’ve just been drafted into the War on Terror.

I don’t know what you heard in President Bush’s “non-political” speech from the oval office on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. What I heard is that The Decider has drafted us all into his apocalyptic, make-it-or-break it view of the world. From now until that great and distant day when Victory over Terror is declared, we are all soldiers in his war. It’s us versus them, good versus evil, the threatened versus the threateners, the advocates of freedom versus the haters of freedom, resolve and sacrifice versus unspeakable violence, Civilization versus Islamofascism.

It’s “our generation’s calling,” the President told us, nothing less than “the decisive ideological struggle of the 21^st Century.” And, he warns us, we’re just “in the early hours of this struggle.” We or our children or perhaps their children can expect battles "like Iwo Jima and D-Day," with “thousands lost in one day.”

Needless to say, the outcome will depend on great “sacrifice and determination,” marked by “passion for service,” nobly watched over by mothers who are “worried but proud” as they send their children off to the crusade. “We will need them,” the President says, and for once I believe him.

But those great sacrifices, those dark and dreadful days, those bereaved mothers will be worth it, because “we will lead the 21^st Century into a shining age of human liberty, the finest the world has ever known.”

It’s ironic that the path to that shining age of liberty leads through abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, but no matter.

On 9/11, after we watched in shock as the towers collapsed and thousands died, a friend turned to me and asked, “Do you think this could destroy America?”

“Absolutely not,” I answered, envisioning how vast and rich and great America is, how strong and balanced and resilient we three hundred million Americans truly are. "Absolutely not."

I was horrified by the tragedy of that day, but not afraid. I was sure that the darkest imaginings and most horrible acts of terrorists could hurt us, as they had, but could never destroy us.

But now a little man who would be great has drafted us all into an endless war against Evil itself. That’s another matter entirely.

Now I am afraid.

REA for the institute