Bush spoke the truth.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Monday morning, President Bush said on NBC's "Today" show that "I don't think you can win" the war on terrorism. Monday evening, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards said on ABC's "Nightline" program, "What if President Reagan had said that it may be difficult to win the war against communism? The war on terrorism is absolutely winnable."

Tuesday, in a speech to the national convention of the American Legion, Bush said, "We meet today in a time of war for our country, a war we did not start yet one that we will win."

The rhetorical U-turn came as Bush sought to douse the partisan criticism that ignited like napalm in the wake of his uncharacteristically candid appraisal of the war on terrorism. Apparently, Sen. John Kerry's campaign was horrified to hear President Bush say something so reasonable and honest about a key election issue. Kerry's people immediately decided to employ the Bizarro World strategy of doing the opposite of what they knew to be true in hopes of stampeding Bush into recanting.

And it worked. Which simply demonstrates that candidates will say almost anything during a campaign if they think it will nudge them up a point in the polls, and they'll backtrack in a heartbeat to avoid dropping a point.

That's too bad, because after all the macho chest-thumping and "Bring 'em on" grandstanding that have attended the Bush administration's typical lingo about the war on terrorism, it was heartening to hear the president take a more realistic, reflective tone.

Forget the nakedly partisan reaction from the Democrats. They know as well as you do that President Bush was more right than wrong when he expressed doubt about winning the war on terrorism. It isn't a conventional war, and it won't be won with conventional soldiers overcoming an opposing army.

Terrorism arises from a diabolically complex amalgam of politics, poverty, religion, nationalism, racism, oppression and occasionally madness. It has defied eradication even in totalitarian states.

No corner of the globe is free of terrorism. Radically different causes have employed similar terrorist tactics in Northern Ireland, China, Africa, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Bali, Mexico and the United States.

Over the past three years, President Bush has spoken forcefully and eloquently about the challenges facing the United States since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Almost without exception, Bush has chosen his remarks to project strength, resolve and unabashed confidence to the nation and the world.

"With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war," the president said, "and war is what they got."

"What our enemies have begun, we will finish," Bush told the nation on the first anniversary of the attacks.

On another occasion, Bush declared, "This will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome except victory."

Such absolute pronouncements had their place to steel a wounded nation for a difficult and dangerous task three years ago.

But the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is upon us, and it's safe to say we've learned some things since 2001.

Democrats have done the country no favor by preventing the president from admitting to the American people that the war on terror won't have a Hollywood ending.