Winning the War Through Rhetoric

Wannabe Presidential candidate Sen. Russ Feingold is taking a stand in the war on terror. He wants Bush to quit calling the terrorists names (from Special Report):

Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold is calling on the president to stop using the phrase "Islamic fascists" to describe terrorists, saying it "causes people to believe their religion is under attack."

But while Feingold called the term "insulting," he's not saying the terrorists aren't Islamic and he's not saying they're not fascists. Instead, he says using the two together "puts the name of Islam in an exceptionally negative light."

Feingold suggests calling the terrorists "extremists who exploit Islam," but his complaint may be moot. President Bush hasn't used the phrase "Islamic fascism" since August 10.

Interestingly, Feingold's colleague Sen. Harry Reid must not have gotten the memo about associating Islam with bad things. Said Reid the same day:

“Learning the lesson of 9/11 means refocusing on the threat posed by radical Islamic fundamentalism.”

“The Act … details a comprehensive coalition strategy against Islamist terrorism.”

These guys better get their "Act" together or they'll never win this war on terror.