A student's earnest but misguided plea to Kerry: Stop with that anti-terrorism rhetoric

The Times has asked some Michigan college students over to watch and chat about the presidential debates:

"We talk about our own losses, but not about them. The loss of those lives hasn't made me feel a bit safer. I'm going to vote for Kerry, but he needs to stop, change direction, and talk about getting out instead of hunting terrorists," said one of the students. [Italics mine.]

With all due respect to the cause of not killing people abroad unless it's absolutely necessary to do so, the first part of the student's comment...does anyone really want Kerry to run on a platform in which bringing the terrorists behind 9/11 to justice isn't on the agenda whatsoever? He should be concerned with "getting out" of Iraq, yes, but in addition to, in conjunction with, and certainly not instead of, "hunting terrorists."

Human rights for all includes the right of America to defend itself. If we had serious presidential candidates who came out against tracking down those who've attacked us, we might as well have serious contenders who come out in favor of job losses, against affordable healthcare and housing, and against improving public education.