Meanwhile, Back in the Wild West

This column from Robyn Blumner at the St. Petersburg Red Star...excuse me, the St. Petersburg Times on the "Deadwood" man versus the girlie man, is getting a lot of play on the Internet, as well it should:

The Deadwood hero leaves bodies in the thoroughfare, while the reality hero tries to prevent the bloodshed in the first place. The Deadwood hero is a vigilante, while the reality hero understands the inherent value of a society dictated by the rule of law. The Deadwood hero is impulsive, aggressive and macho, while the reality hero is a rational consensus-builder with an intelligent plan of action.

Under a curtain of fear from terrorism, we have been manipulated into thinking that our national security depends on casting our lot with a Deadwood hero when in fact it lies with the other.

Yeah, right. Here's the best response, from Don Feder at Frontpage Magazine:

Three thousand dead Americans? Well, why didn’t you prevent the bloodshed in the first place! A Dark Ages theocracy pledged to wipe Israel off the face of the earth is acquiring weapons of mass jihad? Let’s build a consensus! All of those Islamists not in favor of wiping Israel off the face of the earth, raise your hands.

And this is the type of analysis on which major metropolitan newspapers waste scarce resources -- like ink and paper.

To a large extent this argument highlights the incredible divide between liberals and conservatives — forget solutions...we simply do not see the same world. I will readily agree that Bush couldn't have done a worse job with Iraq if he had hired the Three Stooges to run the invasion, but that doesn't mean that we're NOT in the middle of World War III with a foe who wants us morphed into ashes and lampshades.

Our supreme struggle is to win the war without turning America into Winston Smith's ultimate nightmare.

You tell me...are we succeeding?