President Bush proved yet again last week that he is serious about fighting terror - and fostering a more peaceful world - when he nominated Middle East expert Daniel Pipes to the board of directors at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Not everyone is a fan of Pipes. Terrorists and their apologists loathe him.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, for example, calls Pipes an "Islamophobe." It's troubled with his estimate that as much as 15 percent of Muslims sympathize with militant Islam.
But of course CAIR would object.
Pretending to be a "civil-rights" group, CAIR has defended terrorist gangs, like the Taliban and Hamas.
In 1998, it criticized a billboard that called Osama bin Laden "the sworn enemy" and sponsored a rally where one of its speakers praised jihad and those who support it.
But Pipes, who we're proud to have as a weekly columnist, also rattles liberals who value political correctness and tolerance for (likely) terrorists above all else.
He's warned of the threat posed by militant Muslims in America, noting the many who are already under arrest or being investigated for ties to terror.
In doing so, he's carefully - courageously - documented their backgrounds and their roles in various plots.
Pipes' aim is not to smear Islam or Muslims; indeed, he takes pains to distinguish between Islam, which he respects, and its hijacked militant form.
Rather, Pipes seeks greater vigilance (even if it's politically incorrect) in identifying the source of violent hostility.
What he understands is that peace can't always be gained through tolerance and dialogue; sometimes it must achieved by confronting the enemy, and defeating it.
As America is doing now in Iraq.
As America should have done pre-9/11.
Whether Pipes is right or wrong in his estimate of Muslim sympathy for terror, surely, the Institute of Peace will be well-served by hearing his view.
And Bush deserves extra credit, given that Pipes has criticized even him for meeting with apologists of militant Islam.
The Senate should confirm him quickly.
