"a struggle FOR civilization."

My wife and I watched the President's address to the nation on Sept. 11, expecting the typical Bush speech: of good intention and with a heavy dose of schmaltz, but lacking in depth of reason. In short - a speech for the heart, not so much for the head. But he delivered on both counts. Here was the single best line I've heard in a Bush speech to date:

This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization.

Let's be reasonably honest: the words and actions of many in the Middle East - particularly of their "leadership" - is downright uncivilized. Is civilization even a goal anymore?

On the schmaltzy front, I could not help but be moved by this phrase, as I was holding my own daughter in my arms at the time:

I've sat beside young mothers with children who are now five years old -- and still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms.

How do you reasonably comingle this movement of the heart with the intellectual resolve that civilization is not only preferable, but correct? You aver your defense of civilization.