Santorum's speech on July 20 was bold, brave, and true.

Submitted by James Vesce (United States), Aug 15, 2006 at 16:09

We should all take heart from Senator Rick Santorum's July 20 speech at the National Press Club, the complete text of which appears on his web site, and which can be conveniently reached by clicking on his name in Daniel's blurb above.

I think Senator Santorum, Chariman of the Senate Republican Conference, is the first high-ranking government offical who has had the courage to call the enemy by their true name, and done it to their faces. He has also outlined, in one single speech, much of the global history of jihad, and clarified our national failure up to this point in recognizing the threat we face. He also describes this as a different wkind of war than we've faced before.

He also describes the Internet as one of the battlefields where the war will be fought.

A few quotes:

"The biggest issue facing our children's future is a war. Not, as so many describe it, the War on Terror. Not the war in Iraq or Aftghanistan. But the world war, which at its heart is just like the previous three global struggles."

"In those wars ... we fought them because we knew that our survivial was at stake. The tyrants would never stop attacking until they had defeated us, or we had defeated them."

"Our only choices - choices imposed on us, not chosen by us - were either winning or losing, because there was no way out."

"In World War II we fought Naziism and Japanese Imperialism. Today, we are fighting against Islamic fascists. They attacked us on Septemeber 11the because we are the greates obstacle to their openly -declared mission of subjecting the entire world to their fanatcical rule."

"I believe that the threat of Islamic fascism is just as menacing as the threat from Nazism and Soviet Communism. Now, as then, we face fanatics who will stop at nothing to dominate us. Now, as then, there is no way out; we will either win or lose."

"... Iraq and Afghanistan are battlefielsds in a much broader war, which now includes every continent except Antarctica."

"Ask the Indians, the Thais, the Egyptians or the Argentines. Ask the Australians, the Indonesians, the British or the Spaniards. All have seen Islamic fascists at work, and have mourned their innocent victims."
He acknowledges that we've been under attack for decades.

He asks why we've found it so hard to see the nature of this war. Then he answers the question well.

"Every major Islamic fascist leader, from heads of states to heads of al Qaeda and Hizbollah, has openly identified the United States as their prime target, and repeatedly promises the creation of a new, global "caliphate" where Islamic fascism wil rule mankind. This language comes from both Sunnis an Shi'ite fanatics, whether Arab, Persian, Indonesian, American, or British."

"Hardly anyone took Mein Kampf seriously and when Nikita Khrushchev pounded his shoe on the table at the UN, announcing "We will bury you" it was widely treated as a moment of comic relief."

"Even worse, there has been "a war against the war" a joint campaign by some people inside the government and allies in the media to undermine critical national security programs."

" To their shame, the bureaucrats have broken the law by revealing classified information to some in the media." He accuses media of aiding the enemy, undermining intelligence efforts.

"The real offense to Muslims is to remain silent about an ideology that produces the systematic murder of innocents. Mostly, Muslim innocents. They are the first victims of Islamic fascism, and the enemy directly targets them, as we have heard once again in the most recent audiotape from Osama bin Laden."

"Those who refuse to criticize Islamic fascism undermine the cause of freedom of religion because if the Islamic fascists win this war, no other religion will be permitted to flourish."

He states that when we refuse to criticize anybody, "...it makes a mockery of freedom of speech, and it traps us in the discredited nonsense of moral equivalence." "This war is not between two morally equivalent sides; it's a war between brutal totalitarian fascism and freedom."

"When we fail to fully grasp the nature of our enemy and the urgency of our victory, our own people become confused and divided, and the fascists are encouraged to beliece that we're afraid of them."

"Iran reaches into Latin America, in the form of a strategic alliance with the Venezuelan tyrant. It also shows us the ease with which Islamic fascists work with radical leftists. We see this in some of the anti-American demonstrations in Europe."

"We see it in the cooperation between North Korea and Iran, with their rocket and nuclear programs. Just think about that for a minute: fanatical Muslims working hand in glove with fanatical leftists, bound together by hatred for us."

About Ahmadinejad: "...he is truly representative of the face of Islamic fascism in Tehran ... In such a regime, no one speaks without the approval of the ruling mullahs, so Ahmadi-Najhad's words are cononical..the nuclear threat is clear, in order to subject mankind to the slavery of a new Caliphate."

"Remember, Islamic extremists fought the West over the course of a thousand years to their high-water mark outside the gates of Vienna."

"The siege of Vienna lasted until September 1683 - September 11, 1683 - the next day the West triumphed.

"Centuries have passed in relative peace, but now with rthe combination of olil revenues, of the shelf weapons and technoloy, and terror as a tactic a virulent alliance of the 3extremist now have a stratedy to defeat their enemy, the infide.s.

"A few weeks ago I spoke with a leader of the Independent Student Movement (in Iran) who has escaped to America, and he told me that every young person admitted to college must sign an agreement ot "volunteer" for acts of suicide terrorism. Nowadays every university student in Iran must attend courses on how to strap on and detonate a suicide bomb.

He outlines the Iran Freedom and Support Act as having two objectives, to put the Senate on record to enable our government to broadcast the message that we support democracy in Iran and to opening communication to the government and people of Iran, and spelling out consequences if Iran doesn't comply with reasonable demands.

His language outlines a foundation for directly redefining our military and economic policy specifically with respect to our defense against those who wage or support Islamofascism. This appears to be a major policy step forward for our national government.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but I think this is very good news, and I am impressed by Senator Santorum's strength and courage.

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