Every verse of the Star Spangled Banner refers to America and the land of the free and the home of the brave. The concepts of bravery and freedom are linked in song in a profoundly meaningful way, in a manner that reflects this truth: A man who lacks courage can never truly be free.

There's a common misunderstanding about the nature of courage and bravery. Bravery is not the absence of fear. No man is without fear. Rather, bravery is the courage to do what's right, against all odds, even in the face of fear.

The terrorist shares this in common with the demagogue: He knows that there are those who lack the courage to do what's right. He knows that there are those who, if they can be made to fear, can be led into doing wrong.

This is why fear--fear of the unknown, fear of the other, fear of the powerful, fear of the rabble--is such a powerful weapon in the hands of evil. This is why, so often, when the call comes to do what's right, the call also comes to set fear aside.

In the current struggle, we face the newest incarnation of a 1500-year-old enemy whose power depends entirely on his ability to instill fear. We see that fear manifesting itself in ways both small and large. In large, we call it terror, but there's far more to it than that.

Islam's traditional doctrines of imposed submission and obedience run directly counter to Western traditions of liberty and personal freedom. And in order for the West to win the fight against these Islamic terrorists, there must eventually be a broad recognition that there can be no compromise with fear.

In the end, what needs to be done needs to be done.