Bush's comment

The (Findlay, Ohio) Courier

President Bush created quite a stir when he said Monday on NBC's "Today" show, "I don't think you can win it" -- meaning the war on terrorism.

His political rivals immediately pounced. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards said, "After months of listening to the Republicans base their campaign on their singular ability to win the war on terror, the president now says we can't win the war on terrorism. This is no time to declare defeat." Well, that's politics.

Bush was hardly declaring defeat. He was being both realistic -- acknowledging that the scope of this war makes it more a battle to control than to win -- and optimistic.

We can't "win" this war militarily -- but we have to continue to do all we can to create the conditions that make a real victory possible.

Bush understands this. The Democrats never have. That's why we need to re-elect the president.