Tough Enough?

Last week Barack Obama was saying what he would do if elected president. Out of his mouth came the usual liberal laundry list: health insurance, higher minimum wage, etc., etc., etc. Notable for its absence was any concrete idea of how to prosecute the war on terror.

Now I happen to know that Obama-who is my age-is a really nice guy. He looks good, he speaks well, and compared to old-time Democratic stalwarts such as Hillary Clinton, he seems like a breath of fresh air. He handles the language of faith with apparent ease, and he is not beholden to race-mongering activists such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

And yet, the fact that terrorists are out to get us-such as the ones who were captured over the weekend planning to blow up JFK Airport-seems not to be on his radar screen, nor on those of the other Democratic candidates, who seem to think George W. Bush is the biggest threat to our life and liberties.

It's no wonder that Rudy Giuliani, a pro-abortion moderate whose personal life is an embarrasment, is receiving serious consideration from conservative Christians. Giuliani, for all his sins, knows what evil is, and he looks like the kind of person who has the guts and experience to stand up to it. These are dangerous times, and this country needs a tough leader to defend it.

At the end of Jimmy Carter's failed presidency, the hostages had been held in Iran for over a year, with no end in sight. But when Ronald Reagan ("the cowboy") took office, the mullahs quickly released their captives. They feared Reagan, and not without reason.

I'm just not sure the terrorists are all that worried about the likes of Obama, Clinton, Edwards, and Kucinich. Would you be?