The deaths of Izzedine Salim, the Iraq Governing Council president, and Nicholas Berg, the American businessman beheaded by al-Qaida, send important messages to the world. Salim’s death indicates just how far these insurgents will go to prevent Iraq from becoming a stable, democratic nation.

Berg’s death was a brutal act of terror that demonstrates the evil of our terrorist enemies. These events and recent findings of explosive devices loaded with nerve agents in Iraq remind us just how dangerous these terrorists are and how important it is that we fight and win this war on terror.

Certainly President Bush carries the thoughts of our troops and their families with him each day just as concern for the safety and security of all Americans weighed heavily on his mind when he made the difficult decision to go to war. The decision to engage terrorists where they hide, train and plan their heinous attacks on innocent women and children was a responsible one. When Bush addressed the nation after the Sept. 11 attacks, he let the world know we will fight this war on terror, we will confront the terrorists, their supporters and any nation that aids them. Pre-emptive strikes on the Taliban and Saddam Hussein brought the battle to our enemies and away from American soil.

Today, more than two years after the 9-11 attacks, the war on terror continues while the presidential election intensifies at home. Americans have a very clear choice between a resolute leader who will support our troops and stay the course or John Kerry who continues to use events on the ground in Iraq to gain political capital while failing to offer any credible alternative; blame and cynicism aren’t alternatives.

Our troops facing this global war need our support. Kerry shows his disregard for the morale and welfare of our fighting men and women by his continued political opportunism and pessimism. I saw the results of this type of politics in Vietnam 36 years ago. We have a superbly trained military force now, as we did then. We should not allow political ambition to destroy their will to fight. Intensifying worldwide terrorism reminds us that the United States must be led by a president with a steady hand who shows terrorists no sign of backing down. The stakes are too high.

Kerry is so focused on his own shortsighted goal to win the election he has lost sight of the larger goal of winning the war on terror. His voting record on military and national defense issues shows a disappointing inconsistency. He attacked the June 30 transfer of power date as fiction but stressed the need for a date to turn over authority to the Iraqi people. Kerry’s political opportunism is dangerous and only undermines the safety of our troops and our commitment to handing control back to the citizens of Iraq. Attracting additional international support remains a cornerstone of the administration’s policy and there are currently more than 30 nations assisting the United States in Iraq.

Kerry has called for more international support yet he dismissed our allies as “window dressing.” He is wounding existing relations with the very international support he says we need. We should question the wisdom of these statements in light of the decision by some coalition partners to pull out of Iraq. In his last press conference, Bush once again stressed his commitment to stay the course in our fight against terrorism and his refusal to be swayed by polls. Americans welcome this refreshing change from the previous administration. Bush has provided America with steady leadership in the war on terror. Kerry can’t even give us a steady position.

Russell P. Treadwell is a Republican state representative from Carmel.