Last night, I turned on the television to see what was happening in Joe Lieberman’s Senate race in Connecticut. What I ran into was a pair of talking heads: A Republican and a Democrat. The Republican said: Lieberman’s defeat proves the Democrats support terrorism. And the Democrat retorted: The war in Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism.

Now, neither of those statements is exactly true, but there is nothing new about a little hyperbole on an election night. Still, the banter demonstrates a point. Neither party is really debating its solution to the war on terrorism.

The Democrats want to run against the war in Iraq but they’re hardly saying a word about how – after they pull us out of Iraq – they will win the war on terrorism.

The Republican mantra, “stay the course,” isn’t flying too well with voters either. So they’d just as soon not mention it.

The problem is we are in a war with the terrorists and we either have to win it or make a peace that is acceptable without winning it.

But that doesn’t seem to be a debate either party wants – probably because it involves taking a big step into dangerous political waters. The shame is no leader in either party has demonstrated the courage to take that risk.

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