On our terms

Yes, it was outrageous. The bombing, burning, and killing of 4 American contract workers in Fallujah, Iraq yesterday. And the dragging of the bodies through the streets was barbaric, defining of a barbaric belief system.

We have options:

1. Pack up and leave. Decide that we have no business there and that no more soldiers should be in harm's way. The Somalia solution.

2. Massive retribution. Make them all pay.

3. Capture those responsible and keep to our plan for Iraq.

The problem with the 1st and 2nd options is that it shifts attention to their agenda, not ours.

I know some people want to pull out. Both people of good intent and misguided people. But to pull out only emboldens the terrorists. That was the lesson of Somalia. They interpreted our pullout there as weakness and as encouragement to strike again. All you have to do is drag bodies in the street and America will run.

Solution 2 is tempting. Strike back hard. Devastatinly so. But it puts us on their terms.

Solution 3 is correct. Stay the course. Rebuild Iraq's infrastructure on our terms. Then hand it over. Then leave. President Bush has the core strength to do that.