"A small band of fanatics..."

As patriotic and well meaning as George Bush may be, he has disappointed me in several areas, the most dangerous of which for our nation is his assumption about the nature of Islam.

The latter shortcoming is illustrated in this excerpt from his farewell address...

"The battles waged by our troops are part of a broader struggle between two dramatically different systems. Under one, [a] small band of fanatics demands total obedience to an oppressive ideology, condemns women to subservience, and marks unbelievers for murder. The other system is based on the conviction that freedom is the universal gift of Almighty God and that liberty and justice light the path to peace."

A "small band of fanatics" indeed. Has Mr. Bush ignored the near-violent and pointedly anti-Semitic protests in many American cities sponsored and attended by thousands of Islamists over the last couple of weeks? Has he ignored the violent and pro-genocide demonstrations in many nations of the world sponsored and attended by the same "small band?" I'm not talking about U2 or Kiss here.

Has Mr. Bush ignored the over 100 reported atrocities per month committed by Islamists in the name of Islamic jihad worldwide? View these here.

Mr. Bush must certainly realize that the federal government is not spending the highest national defense appropriation since the end of WWII, close to a trillion dollars, plus or minus a few billion to defend ourselves against a "small band of fanatics." C'mon, George. Why do you continue to sugar-coat our pickle in your rhetoric?

And the purpose of our $$$$$$ efforts in Iraq is to create a democracy? I recently read an apt description of democracy in Muslim dominated nations: One vote - One time.

The heart of Islam is the Koran. The heart of the Koran is world domination through spiritual, physical, and violent means. Muslims who are not terrorists themselves are either ignorant of the historical teachings of their religion, are knowledgeable but don't care for that part of it, or are supporters either in spirit, financially, politically, or logistically. What percent of the 1.2 billion Muslims might constitute the "small band of fanatics"? 10% (120,000,000); only 5% (60,000,000?) What part of the 95% are active supporters of the "small band" in one form or another? The US Muslim population is estimated at between 4 and 7 million. How many of these seek Sharia law in this nation? How many support the imposition of Islam here? How many will resort to deceit, infiltration, threat, or terror?

In any scenario, Bush is either the poor communicator the media claims (true), he is ignorant of the nature of Islam and is getting bad advice (most likely), or is purposely toning down his rhetoric for some obscure strategic purpose (possible).

None of these excuses are helpful to our nations' understanding of the nature of Islam and its impact on national security and our quality of life and national survival.