In his comedy album “Jammin’ in New York,” comedian George Carlin observes: “We love to declare war on things here in America. It’s the only metaphor we have in our public discourse for solving problems. We have the War on Crime, the War on Cancer, the War on Drugs…”

Add to Carlin’s list of failing wars the War on Terror.

Two weeks ago, after raising the terror alert, the Bush administration admitted it did so on the basis of information that was several years out-of-date. In defense, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge announced the July 12 capture of al-Qaeda member Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, who had provided the information that led to the raised threat level.

Only one problem: Khan was a valuable Pakistani intelligence asset whose ongoing assistance in sting operations had led to the arrest of several suspected al-Qaeda members. CNN reported that after the Bush administration knowingly blew Khan’s cover, counterterrorism officials had seen a drop in intercepted communications among suspected terrorists.

In other words, the Bush administration tipped off the terrorists.

The Khan incident is a good example of how the administration is mishandling the War on Terror, particularly how it favors headline-grabbing sound bites over substance. From the “Top Gun”-style pronouncement of “Mission Accomplished” to the much-heralded handover of “sovereignty” in Iraq, it’s become increasingly clear that every time Bush opens his mouth, you’d better duck and cover.

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, President Bush began squandering the world’s sympathy and goodwill by announcing, “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists.” Many nations balked at such a Manichean view of the world, and in the end, it served no purpose but to alienate our traditional allies, whose help we will surely need in tracking down the rootless al-Qaeda network.

Despite proclaiming that the War on Terror is not a war on Islam, Bush characterized it by saying that “This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while.” The military’s original name for the Afghanistan bombing campaign was Operation Infinite Justice, a sardonic play on Islam’s tenet that only Allah can deliver infinite justice. “Bring it on,” Bush sneered, and now nearly 1,000 young men and women can’t tell you just how severely it has been brought.

These gaffes are relevant because they expose an essentially unserious man governing in the most serious of times. Bush’s failure to grasp why he shouldn’t blow an agent’s cover for political gain is a monumental one, as is his failure to grasp the significance of language (and of keeping one’s trap shut) in America’s struggle for Islamic hearts and minds.

We cannot win this War on Terror with bombs alone. We cannot bring democracy to a country we hold at gunpoint. To extricate ourselves from the messes of the past four years, we’re going to need a new language, new metaphors and new leaders – the old ones are no longer serviceable.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.