Declare War on ISIS

Don’t declare war on Islam. Declare war on ISIS. Prominent American Muslims have just declared that ISIS is “an extremist group that has declared war on us all.” Give them an opportunity to be in the vanguard of the war effort.

Don’t declare war on Syrian refugees. Declare war on ISIS, and give the men of fighting age among them the opportunity to reclaim homelands and vindicate Muslim honor in the tradition of Saladin.

Don’t declare war on the Iranians or Putin. Declare war on ISIS, and give them the opportunity to join the crusade—or face the consequences of opposing or sabotaging it.

Don’t give the shell-shocked French lip service only. Declare war on ISIS, and mobilize NATO to fight it.

Don’t leave Israel feeling isolated and alone. Declare war on Isis, and recognize Israelis’ unheralded contributions to the anti-terror cause.

Don’t castigate President Obama for being petulant and partisan. Declare war on ISIS, and give him in his last year a challenge to lead in the tradition of Woodrow Wilson and FDR, great Democratic presidents who overcame initial hesitations to lead global crusades for freedom.

Don’t deride Republicans as troglodytes and wingnuts. Declare war on ISIS, and challenge them patriotically to put up or shut up.

The American people, according to the polls, are leery of a third Mideast war. No doubt true. But they were also initially wary of World War II and the Cold War. Declare war on ISIS and give them the opportunity to finish the job in the Middle East, and then reduce U.S. involvement to the minimum necessary to make the region no threat to global security. There's even an historical model for this unconventional war: Jefferson's on the Barbary Pirates.

Bury today’s morbid hyper-partisanship.Unite against a common threat to humanity as Americans did during “the Good War,” but this time avoid mistakes like Japanese American internment and callousness toward Jewish refugees.

DECLARE WAR ON ISIS!