Who won the War on Terror?

Disclaimer: I've stayed away from expressing my fierce political opinons recently, but what I've got to say today is my own editorial that many may find to be quite controversial. Anyone who is a republican and/or a George W. Bush / John McCain supporter is likely to have a big problem with it.

Basically, the conclusion I reached just a short while ago is that the "Terrorists" won. Now-- what do I mean by this? Well, let's look at the facts. In 2001, "Al Qaeda" attacked the World Trade Centre in New York-- the ultimate symbol of financial success and prosperity in the U.S. The U.S. government, led by George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, promised that the situation would be controlled and resolved by way of an all-out "War on Terror."

What is it that really happened, however? What was the conclusion of this effort? 6 years after the start of this War on Terror, more than 4,200 U.S. soldiers have been killed, several of the country's largest and oldest financial institutions are out of business, a large percentage of U.S. citizens have lost their homes and/or are in the midst of serious financial trouble, and many of the largest, nationwide retailers are either out of business or nearing collapse. Additionally, the person recognised as the mastermind behind this destruction is still alive and in control of his international "terror" syndicate, and the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan is still going strong (despite what the media has been reporting).

How did we get into this situation? After the September 11 attacks, whether this was part of the plan or not, George Bush played right into the attackers' hands and ran up a gigantic national debt by spending money on this war at a frightening pace. This activity drove our already unsteady economy (sustained upon unjust financial practices, questionable business models and unbalanced lending methods) into a downward, unrecoverable spiral.

There are numerous harmful side-effects of this, including a lowering of our national credit rating, a severe slow-down of the national economy, a dangerous lowering of home-values across the country and record-breaking unemployment rates. So getting back to my opening statement-- although it took several years' time, the "Terrorists" ultimately got what they wanted-- to severely damage the confidence, success and comfort of American society. Indeed, the arrogance and self-righteousness that were exhibited by Bush and his cronies, on our behalf, have been humbled and downgraded.

In conclusion, I am so, SO happy that today is Bush's last day in office.

Photo: Alan Greenspan, George Bush and Ben Bernanke, courtesy of www.marketoracle.co.uk