Bush’s Holy War

In this thought-provoking opinion piece from the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper, writer Correlli Barnett points out how, in waging his own brand of holy war, Bush (and, by extension, former British PM Tony Blair) failed to comprehend crucial lessons about war that historical examples have repeatedly borne out. 

Daily Mail:

But I have long thought that Bin Laden was also motivated by a specific strategic purpose in launching 9/11—a wish to trap the United States into an ideological struggle with the Islamic world. He certainly succeeded in this—but only because Bush and his neo-con cronies have been all too willing to accept the challenge.

Why? Because just as much as Bin Laden and his fellow jihadists, they, too, see world affairs in simple terms of ideological conviction.

Remember, Bush and his vicepresident Dick Cheney are fundamentalist Christians, while Bush’s own political base lies in his fellow fundamentalists of the American ‘Bible belt’. And tragically for Britain, Tony Blair passionately shared Bush’s belief that world policy must be inspired by religious faith.

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whitehouse.gov

President Bush and guests join hands at the White House to commemorate the National Day of Prayer on May 5, 2005.