EDITORIAL - The recently released letter from Ayman al Zawahiri to Abu Musab al Zarqawi is now being painted as a forgery by al Qaeda in Iraq, Zarqawi?s faction of the radical Islamist terror movement. This is understandable as it does expose many of their goals and strategies in their quest for global domination. But perhaps the most immediate reason to discredit the intercepted correspondence is that it spells out in the most simplistic of terms that they have been using the anti-war movement here in the United States, and around the world, to their gain.

Zawahiri?s translated letter states that there are four ?incremental goals? that the ?jihad in Iraq? must attain in order for them to reach a point where they can move forward with their quest for totalitarian dominance, in the region and throughout the world:

1) Expel the Americans from Iraq.

2) Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of a caliphate over as much territory as possible to spread its power in Iraq.

3) Extend the jihad wave to secular countries neighboring Iraq.

4) Initiate a major confrontation with Israel.

These ?incremental goals? are sobering. They point out in no uncertain terms ? unless you are an ideologically far left Kool-Aid drinker ? that the radical Islamists waging jihad today understand they are engaged in a World War that transcends governments and nations, drawing its battle lines according to whether one is an Islamist (and a Sunni or a Wahhabi Islamist at that) or an infidel.

Alarmingly, many in the West haven?t a clue that they are engaged in a clash with a war machine that embraces death more than it embraces life. Thanks to the Clintonian ideology of terror management, the politically correct of the world, the multiculturalists and the globalists, assert that terrorism is less a direct act of war than it is a criminal action. Judging from the ?incremental goals? outlined in Zawahiri?s letter to Zarqawi, Clinton and the rest of his appeaser crowd couldn?t have been more wrong.

For the ?Cindy Morons? of the world, Zawahiri?s clarification means that at the same moment you would be placing your daisies on the saifs of those you believe are merely misunderstood, they would be plunging them into your necks. Why? Because you are an infidel and that makes you the enemy. Unless you are willing to forfeit all of your freedoms to the will of Islamic law, you are an infidel and infidels must die in jihad.

In his letter it becomes apparent that Zawahiri understands the importance of the effect of the media, not only in Iraq, but in the United States as well. He stresses:

?In the absence of?public support, the Islamic mujahed movement would be crushed in the shadows, far from the masses who are distracted or fearful, and the struggle between the jihadist elite and the arrogant authorities would be confined to prison dungeons far from the public and light of day.?

What is even more unnerving is his understanding of the American popular consensus and how we are predictable. He states in no uncertain terms, ?The Americans will exit soon,? and ?The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam and how they ran and left their agents is noteworthy.? He understands that by manipulating the media he can elicit the same outcome for this conflict as the North Vietnamese did at the end of the Vietnam War. In fact, he is counting on it.

?I stress again to you and to all your brothers the need to direct the political action equally with the military action, by the alliance, the cooperation and gathering of all leaders of opinion and influence in the Iraqi arena.

Playing directly into his hands is the anti-war movement in the United States and abroad. They call for an end to hostilities, for troops to come home, never understanding that those who are waging jihad have no intention of doing the same. While the anti-war left, promoted by the mainstream elitist media, is calling for a de-escalation the radical Islamist jihad, al Qaeda, is recruiting. It couldn?t be clearer that the anti-war left in this country ? and around the world ? is doing Zawahiri?s bidding, whether consciously or unconsciously.

I have no doubt that there are some sincere souls embedded in the anti-war movement, I just believe that they have been manipulated by those who champion ignorance over fact, ideology over substance. If this were a one-sided aggression I would most likely give pause to look at their argument more closely than I already have. But this isn?t a one-sided act of aggression and we didn?t start it.

Time is the tyrant when it comes to the War on Terror, which has rightly been reclassified as a war against radical Islamic terrorism. The enemy is smart, they are well organized and while they are on the run, hunted by forces that champion freedom over oppression, they are still effective. How could they not be, the mainstream media covers their propaganda, courtesy of the American liberal left each night on the nightly news!

Many of my mindset believe that the anti-war movement and liberal left of this country and the world will not come around until another September 11th takes place. Many more are starting to believe this each day. Alarmingly, catastrophically, I know that the next September 11th will be measured not in lives lost but in megatons. Praise Allah?yeah, right.