WOIFM

IRA in the Crosshairs?

Last Friday night, four of us prepared to walk into our local Irish pub. As I showed my ID and paid my cover, a thought hit me.

"Oh my God," I said to my friend, who is proud of her Irish heritage, "We just declared war on the IRA Wednesday night, didn't we?"

Suddenly, little things about President Bush's speech which had been nagging at me like a loose tooth made sense. That's why America has "no truer friend" than England. That's why Tony Blair came over to join in strategy sessions - an unusually strong show of support even for a situation like this. We've made a deal with them to help root out their own terror problem.

Our President said, "Our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated." Well, who was he talking about? Surely IRA factions fit this description - even if they confine their activities to one enemy, they conduct large parts of their fundraising here, and certainly some their weapons as well. And like Al Quaeda, the IRA has focused attacks primarily on civilian targets.

Troubles in Northern Ireland have been heating up for the last several months and seem about to come to a head. And now, more than ever, the United States can offer great aid to Great Britain in ripping out the IRA by the roots, since so much of their strength is here in the States. In return, Great Britain can serve as our cheerleader overseas, helping to keep our shakier allies in line with the cause. They can offer intelliegence in places where ours might be spotty. They can teach us anti-terrorism tactics and even lend specialized troops.

After the initial waves in Afghanistan subside, start looking for America to take a stronger stance against the IRA both here and abroad. Watch as the IRA's tendrils in Boston and elsewhere get cut off, or maybe you won't be able to watch, if these operations are those the President referred to as "covert operations secret even in success."

Now, of course the President didn't come right out and say this last Wednesday night. But assuming that the IRA is now in America's crosshairs, a lot more of what he has said and done makes sense.