A War Phrase That Pays Less and Less

By Mike Nizza

Tags: al qaeda, foreign affairs, politics, terrorism
Backing Away From a PhraseNo more slogans, John Edwards says during a presidential campaign. (Photo: Sean Gardner/Reuters)

Britain and the House budget committee deserted the “war on terror” last month, and now candidates for the White House are starting to weigh in.

Let’s start with Brian Williams’s Tooth Fairy test in the Democratic debate last month. “Show of hands question: Do you believe there is such a thing as a global war on terror?” he asked.

Hillary Clinton’s hand “shot up;” Barack Obama “noticeably” hesitated before agreeing, Time magazine reported.

In the same article, John Edwards dismissed “war on terror” as “a Bush-created political phrase.” Fast forward three weeks to today, and he’s getting some more attention for restating that position in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, scoring some shots against the president in the process:

The core of this presidency has been a political doctrine that George Bush calls the “Global War on Terror.” He has used this doctrine like a sledgehammer to justify the worst abuses and biggest mistakes of his administration, from Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, to the war in Iraq.

“What we need is not more slogans but a comprehensive strategy,” he said.

And what shall we call this “comprehensive strategy?” He didn’t offer a name, like several other of the phrase’s detractors.

A candidate on the right laudably took a shot. Rudolph W. Giuliani came up with “the terrorist war against us,” but that was overshadowed by his suggestion that there would be “more losses” from terrorist attacks if Democrats were elected.

Off the list for sure are: “global war against Islamic extremism,” “World War 4″ and “Islamofascism,” Kevin Drum of Political Animal said.

He wants to call the enemy “violent jihadism.”

We are, of course, still taking suggestions. And just to increase the chances that Mr. Bush’s successor will like it, let’s leave him out of the name. Ladies and Gentlemen, put on your thinking cap. As Mr. Drum said, “It’s a stumper.”

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