My Advice to the President

The extremists in the 9/11 attacks and in the global terrorism fight gain followers when they can make our actions look like a war on Islam itself. My advice is to avoid statements that make it look as if our actions were NOT part of a holy war. For example, Don't say that you are doing god's will by attacking countries. This plays into their notions of religious war and, in fact evokes some of the same rationale that THEY THEMSELEVES use in pandering to the zealotry in their own nations.

In particular, don't say things like this:

"President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …" And I did."

to the Palestinian Ministers with BBC tapes rolling. not good.