Yes! Rhetoric is important as folks like George Lakoff have pointed out. If the Dems can stop using the very terms teh Repugnicans spew out, maybe we can get somewhere.

Benn is dead on right! Even the term "war" needs to be clearly defined as a military action against a GOVERNMENT. There is no such thing as a "war on poverty", "war on drugs", or "war on terrorism".

ladies and gentleman: the velvet glove of soft power Benn

american imperialists can be so uncouth - thanks for the lesson from finishing school.

oh brother!

Now we are getting to the bottom of how the war machine's stooges front for the racket while the media doesn't notice the elephant in the room..and the British know a thing or two about the rise and fall of Empires...
Jim

Glory, glory...

Someone finally sees it and says it. This is one of the most sensible approaches I have heard from a Brit or an American sing 9/11.

One cannot have a war on a tactic. hence, no such thing as a "War" on terror. Bush does not understand the language of the US citizens, nor of the Spanish speaking citizens.

Good for Benn. Bush betrays his true agenda in the last sentence. Michael Moore said that only a perpetual state of war makes a hierarchal society possible and this war on terror can go on forever.

Bush - "It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated."

Defeat poverty, ignorance, fundementalism.

Stop robbing peoples of their lands, resources, wealth, values and loved ones.

Regime change - will have to be done at home.

By end of business tomorrow, Mr. Benn will be known as the lefty-liberal-troop-hating-terrorist sympathizer Pelosibrit and the Pulitzer Prize winning WSJ will call for his rendition to Cuba.

"What these groups want is to force their individual and narrow values on others without dialogue, without debate, through violence. And by letting them feel part of something bigger, we give them strength," he will add.

Hmmm... sounds almost as though he could be referring to the Neocon-led invasion of Iraq, rather than Al Qaeda...

The phrase "War on Terror" was carefully conceived and has been steadily used to sell the idea of an open-ended war that if basically fought at Bush's discretion, wherever and whenever he deems that there is a "terror" threat. It has also permitted the US government to cross borders and bend international and American law to fit this broad definition of a never-ending battle against an undefined, undefinable enemy. What is "terror"? What is a "terrorist"? Is it anyone who is against US/Western interests? Is it somebody who threatens the status-quo? Is it somebody fighting the illegal occupation of their homeland fueled by special interests groups?

The term "war on terror" also automatically gives those fighting it the moral high-ground. What righteous, upstanding citizen could be against a war on terror? Why, of course, only those who are pro-terror! Anyone disagreeing with Bush and his holy war is, therefore, a traitor, a terrorist-lover, or at best a soft-hearted wimp. This moral-high ground trumps the US constitution and international law, and becomes the ultimate power-tool for a small group of people trying to remodel the world to fit their ideas of empire. It is another example of a mythology-driven administration that makes facts up to back their decisions, and maybe even worse, refuses to acknowledge proven facts when they don't support their own narrow views and egotistical interests.

Making war on things that they do not understand, that they refuse to attempt to understand, is the way minds stuck in adolescence work.

I'm just proud to be amongst such articulate, educated individuals, and, based upon the previously-expressed opinions here, I have somewhat of a renewed hope for the future of this, our country.
I have been terribly frustrated by the Democrats' propensity to, as "Davesnothere" mentioned, attempt to debate issues, while utilizing the slanted, inaccurate rhetoric termed by the Republican spin-machine.
And, as "alterjuan" relates, we, in this supposedly highly-intelligent nation, have allowed "a small group of people trying to remodel the world to fit their ideas of empire" to literally strong-arm decency aside, and, turn this into a nation of paranoid, fearful, greedy bullies, not at all interested in the notion of diplomacy, but, bent on world domination, via subversive methods (extraordinary renditions; genocide, and/or, the support of genocide, by allies/Israel; criminal violation(s) of long-respected international law, and, treaties; fraudulent re-interpretation of the U.S. Constitution; political assassinations; funding of otherwise-terrorist organization, as long as their aims are the same as the Bush junta; and, too much more to detail).
Our plight, today, suggests that the "dumbing-down of America" had been accomplished, but, I find hope in the ranks of those who have commented here, and, amongst the many others who frequent sites, such as CommonDreams.org, MoveOn.org, and, Truthout.org.
Moreso, than at any other time in my life, I've come to believe that, but for our "finger in the dike", this "house of cards", that we call America, threatens to come down, all around us.

Of course we can't leave Iraq because the Administration is building bases and a huge embassy over there, and we can't leave until control of their oil is secured for the oil companies and all the elements of their plan are in place. Of course they can never stop calling it a war on terror because the president has special powers during "wartime". Just part of the power grab.

"It's a good thing your neighbor is armed…at least he'll be able to protect you in case of a "wreckless" intrusion."

We'll need that neighbor, since the army, which is supposed to protect us, not the interests of oil companies, is being broken for no reason other than stupidity and greed, and the National Guard, which is supposed to protect us citizens at home, seems to be missing.