Debating a Leftist Who Refuses to Acknowledge the Obvious

A leftist responded to my comments here.  Due to comment section limitations I’m responding in this posting.

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Your invokation [sic] of the war powers granted the president during war suggests that the War on Terror is, in fact, and actual war, fought in an acutal [sic] place against actual people. The war on terror is only an idea.

The war on Muslim terrorists is very real as is self-evident to most of humanity.  Simply examine the many declarations of war they have made against us. 
The enemy we’re dealing with is not going to be satisfied until we convert to Islam and repent for our “wicked” way of life.

What follows is a sampling of the enemy’s perspective…

From page 51 of the 9/11 commission report:

Bin Ladin’s grievance with the United States may have started in reaction to specific U.S. policies but it quickly became far deeper.  To the second question, what America could do, al Qaeda’s answer was that America should abandon the Middle East, convert to Islam, and end the immorality and godlessness of its society and culture: “It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.” If the United States did not comply, it would be at war with the Islamic nation, a nation that al Qaeda’s leaders said “desires death more than you desire life.”

I’m guessing the last part of the quote is a reference to the practice of abortion.

Here is a snippet of bin Laden’s letter to America: 

(2) The second thing we call you to, is to stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery that has spread among you.

(a) We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling’s, and trading with interest.
…
(i) You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator.

I do not understand why so many leftists refuse to take the word of the enemy at face value when the enemy is so serious about their ideology that they are willing to die for it.