[FITZ]

Islam is not a religion of peace, it's a cult of subjugation. We're very poorly served if our President can't or won't acknowledge this fact.

I preferred Reagan's direct approach when he called the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and never backed down from the truth about Communism and that did seem to work. I don't think praising a belief system that leads to all these terrorist acts is the right approach. There are some Muslims who aren't involved in this Jihad against the US but I don't believe they are peaceful because of Islam but in spite of it. The Turks most likely were never as fully converted to the Arab religion and have maintained many of their Zoroasterism beliefs which is what makes them more tolerant and peace-loving.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

The Turks most likely were never as fully converted to the Arab religion

They are but Attaturk forced Turkey to become a secular state. He deposed the caliph, abolished religious rule, and did everything possible to get his country to emulate the West.

I've been to both Turkey and Egypt (an Arab state). The standard of living in Turkey is light years ahead of Egypt.

[Twodees]

I agree. To me, it's insulting. It's as though the President doesn't trust us to restrain ourselves from lynching every moslem we see. Politicians are not as well informed as the citizenry except in very narrow areas regarding their jobs. Their lives are spent trying to find ways to gull a lot of people into voting for them or in doing jobs in elected office which insulate them from the lives lived by their constituents. For that reason, they should never presume to lecture us or to manipulate us.