Consider “the long war,” a bold concept embraced a few years ago to describe the continuing struggle against terrorism, the grudging progress that could realistically be achieved, and the enormous financial burden that it would impose for years to come. It was also a realpolitik acknowledgement of the setbacks to be expected along the way (the “slog,” as then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld put it).
想想“漫长的战争”吧，这一醒目的概念是几年前用来描述与恐怖主义旷日持久的战争的，获胜可以做到，但其巨大的财政负担将在多年内都无法消除。这一概念也是对预期中的挫折的强权政治式的承认（用当时国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德的话说，就是“决胜”）。