Not ready to fight

{mosads}And a Daily Caller headline reports that a Salon writer says, “Let’s hope Boston Marathon bomber is a white American.” For so much it doesn’t do (it deflects), it doesn’t reflect a people resolutely committed to defending themselves. You wouldn’t want them in your foxhole.

But the almost universal lead was similar, like that in my morning newspaper in New Hampshire: “Some of the runners said the attacks have only affirmed their will to run the Boston Marathon again.”

The New York Times brought in Boston novelist Dennis Lehane, who said that after the heinous attack “we will move on with our lives.”

And Tom Friedman at the Times, like my local paper, said “Bring on the Next Marathon.” Several — most all — commentators on Fox Business said the same thing.

This is the same kind of language we heard after 9/11, and it is of course important that marathoners continue in Boston as Londoners continued their daily walks during the blitz. But that is not what won the war. American bombers did.

I heard from a friend retired from foreign service a more fatalistic charge. “I don’t care now if they do torture them,” he said. I do, but I know what he means. He means stop the intimidation by any means necessary.

When we are ready to defend ourselves, we will instead hear language like this from well-known American military leaders.

“First we’re going to cut it off, and then we’re going to kill it.” — Colin Powell.

“Kill them, sir. Kill them all.” — Stonewall Jackson