No fat lady in sight

Ever since one of the Cheney daughters appeared on Newsnight at the Republican Convention this week I've been unable to think how myopic these people's grasp of history has been.

Defending WOT ('war on terror' to you and me), Ms Cheney argued that Clinton had tried to deal with al-Qaeda and terrorism as if it were a policing matter, treating them liken criminals. And that didn't work. So now we have the military option and the grandiose claim of fighting this 'war on terror'.

They really don't get it, do they? They can never beat it in the way they're doing. And if they don't believe me, then they should go back to their classrooms and remember how the US won its independence. Instead of meeting the enemy head on, they resorted to hit-and-run guerilla tactics. They relied on the help of their knowledge of the local terrain and supporters. George Washington wasn't that great a commander. I vaguely recall reading he lost more battles than he won. But he also knew that as long as he kept the Continental Army in existence the British could never win. And sure enough, they conceded.

Substitute terrorists for Washington's lot and you'll see why Dubya won't ever win.