In a Foreign Affairs essay this week, Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani presented a radical new strategy for confronting a threat comparable to the Cold War. Moreover, Giuliani has made war on terror a central tenet to his presidential bid.

“The defining challenges of the twentieth century ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Full recognition of the first great challenge of the twenty-first century came with the attacks of September 11, 2001, even though Islamist terrorists had begun their assault on world order decades before. Confronted with an act of war on American soil, our old assumptions about conflict between nation-states fell away. Civilization itself, and the international system, had come under attack by a ruthless and radical Islamist enemy.”

Hmmm…that sounds familiar. We are in a clash of civilizations, but the Left poo-poos that notion, unwittingly embracing terrorism and their unmitigated lack of tolerance.

Regardless of whether or not you support Giuliani, Fred Thompson, or Mitt Romney, one has to admire Guiliani for not retreating from the overwhelming Leftist rhetoric stating that the Right has completely overblown the Islamic terrorist threat. Furthermore, Giuliani has embraced President Bush for “orchestrating the most fundamental shift in U.S. policy since Harry Truman” regarding global terror.

What facet of Giuliani’s essay that MUST be realized is this: this conflict is a generational one, very real, and very dangerous. We cannot let the Left dictate to us the terms of this struggle, or even admonish us for discussing this very real threat.

“America and its allies have made progress since that terrible day. We have responded forcefully to the Terrorists’ War on Us, abandoning a decadelong (sic) — and counterproductive — strategy of defensive reaction in favor of a vigorous offense. And we have set in motion changes to the international system that promise a safer and better world for generations to come.”

Yet, as the Left would have it, the Iraq War and our foreign policy have created terrorism. If we hadn’t unlawfully invaded Iraq in search of blood and treasure (it’s the “oil,” stupid, according the simple-minded Left), we would face not homegrown terrorists, threats to our interests abroad, or the threat of fundamentalists usurping our OPEN borders.

“But this war will be long, and we are still in its early stages. Much like at the beginning of the Cold War, we are at the dawn of a new era in global affairs, when old ideas have to be rethought and new ideas have to be devised to meet new challenges.”

And therein lays the tragedy. For the Left lacks the will, courage, and tenacity to tackle an enemy that very much wants to see all of us eliminated, barbarism be damned. Furthermore, it is the fundamentalist that are using their Dhimmi friends to gain a foothold here at home and on the global front.

“Idealism should define our ultimate goals; realism must help us recognize the road we must travel to achieve them. The world is a dangerous place. We cannot afford to indulge any illusions about the enemies we face. The Terrorists’ War on Us was encouraged by unrealistic and inconsistent actions taken in response to terrorist attacks in the past. A realistic peace can only be achieved through strength.”

Finally, it is the realism that the Left cannot fathom. Probably attributable to their unwavering hatred of President Bush, they refuse to hold militant Islam accountable. Instead, they have directed their vitriol towards Christianity and Judaism, proclaiming them to be the true enemy to our civil liberties.

Digression aside, I have not thrown my definitive support to any of the candidates. With that said, and by no means is this a show of support for Guiliani, I like the fact that he embraced the thankless job and fight President Bush was FORCED to wage.

Now…Let’s see what the other candidates say.