Afghanistan Was Personal; Iraq Was Business

Prior to the beginning of the war with Iraq, there were many reasons tossed about by the anti-war crowd as to President Bush's "real" intentions.

Some said he was trying for an imperialistic power grab. Others said he was doing it for oil. Another common reason was that it was personal – that George W. Bush was getting revenge on Saddam Hussein for the first Gulf War and for trying to assassinate his father, President George H.W. Bush.

All one needs to do is study the words of Bush's speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to see that Iraq was not personal. In fact, if anything, Afghanistan was personal. But in the war on terror, Iraq was strictly business.

On Sept. 11, 2001, war was declared on America. It wasn't a war in the conventional sense. There were no tanks, no divisions, no brigades opening fire on America. There were no declarations or demands. Instead, under a veil of secrecy, America's innocence was taken away and the reality of terrorism was brought to our shores like nothing else before it.

In response to the terrorist attacks, President Bush declared war. The Taliban of Afghanistan were the first to fall. However, that battle is not the one that should cause other terrorist states to lose sleep.

Afghanistan was personal. America was directly attacked. Thousands of American lives were lost. And America, feeling unprecedented grief and sorrow, went looking for payback. We found the responsible network and the government supporting it, and America took them out. The personal payback was done.

The next battle in the war on terror – the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime – began the real fight against global terrorism. Iraq began the "business" of confronting state sponsors of terror, and with the swiftness of "shock and awe," the other rogue nations on the planet should now be looking over their collective shoulders. We're coming.

Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, President Bush said that the liberation of Iraq is a "crucial advance in the campaign against terror." The president added: "We've removed an ally of al-Qaeda and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime, because the regime is no more."

With those statements Bush then reminded us how this war began: "We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th – the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States. And war is what they got."

President Bush then moved to the true focus of the message – that Iraq was "business," that it was one chapter in a book of defeating rogue regimes. From the carrier deck Bush said, "Our war against terror is proceeding according to principles that I have made clear to all: Any person involved in committing or planning terrorist attacks against the American people becomes an enemy of this country and a target of American justice."

Bush continued by saying: "Any person, organization or government that supports, protects or harbors terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent, and equally guilty of terrorist crimes. Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction is a grave danger to the civilized world – and will be confronted."

These words should haunt any number of world leaders who currently directly sponsor terrorism or openly allow terrorist activities to be conducted in their countries. They should have plenty of sleepless nights wondering if they are next.

The Taliban of Afghanistan helped bring about a direct attack on the United States. The leadership of Iraq did not. Yet with awesome power and swiftness, the Iraqi regime was swept away.

It was swept away because these are new times. We are living in a new age. America cannot allow itself to sit idly by and wait for the next attack. Iraq should send notice to the world that sitting idly by is exactly what we will not do.

Whether it is Iran or North Korea or Syria or any of a host of countries, the choice is in their hands. They can confront terrorism or we will bring the confrontation to them. It's nothing personal. It's simply the business of defending America.

President Bush laid out a clear choice on the Abraham Lincoln when he said, "And anyone in the world, including the Arab world, who works and sacrifices for freedom has a loyal friend in the United States of America."

America wants peace. We yearn for peace. And part of our desire is to know that within our boundaries, we will be safe from terrorism. We have a right to expect as much. And so, our government has a right to ensure it.

In doing so, terrorist states should learn from the Iraqi example and know that America will not be deterred. We will not sit back and wait. The fight was brought to us, and now we will bring it to them.

As President Bush said: "No act of the terrorists will change our purpose, or weaken our resolve, or alter their fate. Their cause is lost. Free nations will press on to victory."

Mr. Eberle may be reached at