Winning the War on Terror

Dave Schuler has a quote by President Bush on if we can win this war.

When asked “Can we win?” the war on terror, Bush said, “I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that the — those who use terror as a tool are — less acceptable in parts of the world.”

I don't think that that is "too nuanced" as Dave says, I just think George doesn't go far enough. Alright, say, a future president somehow persuades militant Islamist organizations (al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the like) to swear off terror attacks as an offensive weapon. Does that mean that we have won the war? What happened to the grand "ideological struggle that will take generations"? Are we not fighting a Islamist movement that hates everything we stand for and wants us destroyed?

I understand that Kerry doesn't get that, but it seems to me that Bush is wavering too nowadays. To me, this war is bigger than both of them. If I felt that Kerry was stronger in prosecuting it, I would not hesitate to vote for him. I have yet to fully make up my mind, because I disagree with a tremendous amount of Bush's domestic policies, but the WoT trumps them all. I wish that somehow like John McCain had become president, but he didn't. I can sit here and bitch and moan, but my choice is stark: John F. Kerry or George W. Bush.

UPDATE: We can't forget that these people can't be comprised with. Now comes word that the Taliban has bombed a school in the Afghan city of Zormat, killing nine children. Despicable.

UPDATE II:Robert Tagorda adds some context to Bush's statement.