Why Bush Must Win

Since 9/11 we have come to the realization that we are at war against a radical Islamofascist ideology. This war makes this election more important than any other election in the last 15 years. Uri Dan writes that its results will be watched by both our friends and enemies, and that because of this Bush must win.

But today's war against Muslim fascism is still very much in progress. And this is a war of a different kind. It entails indiscriminate jihadist attacks on civilians to an extent not seen before by modern civilization. The attacking barbarians cut the throats of their innocent victims, people such as journalist Daniel Pearl and others, and thus achieve hero status in the eyes of tens – perhaps even hundreds – of millions of other Muslims.

Their offensive stretches from New York to Madrid, from Paris to Istanbul, and from Jerusalem to Jiddah.

So if President Bush fails in his reelection bid this November, it will be seen as a tremendous victory for extremist Islam and for supporters of terrorism and dictatorship in the Arab and Muslim world.
[...]
If Bush loses the election, the fanatics will celebrate his loss as a victory in their war against the greatest power in the world. It doesn't matter that John Kerry may be forced to continue Bush's global war against terrorism or that Kerry may retract conciliatory-sounding election promises.

The very fact of a Bush defeat will be interpreted in the fevered, fanatical minds of millions of jihadists and their supporters to mean that their path of sowing terror and death is the right one.

A Bush loss could well give renewed momentum for an al-Qaida offensive.

This prognosis should worry American voters who care about their country's security. Consequently, however difficult it may be for voters brought up on democratic values to acknowledge, they should be cognizant of the extraordinary significance of changing supreme commanders in wartime.

And they should especially think about how a Bush loss would likely play in the eyes of America's enemies.