08/30/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10099

CHENEY ON UNFINISHED WAR

As the first anniversary of the September 11^th attacks nears, United States leaders are mindful of the war on terrorism that began that day. Much has happened in the past year, but far more remains to be done. As Vice President Dick Cheney said, this is "a struggle for years -- a new kind of war against a new kind of enemy. The terrorists who struck America are ruthless, they are resourceful, and they hide in many countries. . . . There is no doubt they wish to strike again, and that they are working to acquire the deadliest of weapons."

A broad coalition has been assembled against the terrorists and their supporters. The U.S. has made it very clear, said Mr. Cheney, "that there is no neutral ground. . . . Those who harbor terrorists share guilt for the acts they commit. Under the Bush Doctrine, a regime that harbors or supports terrorists will be regarded as hostile to the United States."

In Afghanistan, the Taleban already learned that lesson. But with a terrorist underworld spread among more than sixty countries, that is only the beginning. September 11^th awakened the U.S. to the danger and true ambitions of the global terror network, and to the reality that weapons of mass destruction are being sought by determined enemies who would not hesitate to use them.

"It is a certainty," said Vice President Cheney, "that the al-Qaida network is pursuing such weapons, and has succeeded in acquiring at least a crude capability to use them." Evidence of this was found in Afghanistan and, more recently, in videotapes shown on C-N-N -- pictures of al-Qaida terrorists killing dogs with chemical weapons.

As Vice President Cheney made clear, the U.S. "will work closely with the global coalition to deny terrorists and their state sponsors the materials, technology, and expertise to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction. We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack. And the entire world must know that we will take whatever action is necessary to defend our freedom and security. . . . This nation will not live at the mercy of terrorists or terror regimes.