Attorney General John Ashcroft explains America's values to the poor, benighted heathen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland:

"While Mr. Ashcroft said that the American aim was to prevent acts of terror before they took place rather than prosecute the perpetrators afterward, Mahathir bin Mohamad, the prime minister of Malaysia, turned to the attorney general across a stage and, in front of hundreds of participants, said, 'To say you must do preventive actions irrespective of the causes is wrong.'

"The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center 'did it because they were incensed with something and we have to find out why they were incensed,' Mr. Mahathir said. 'We should try not to amplify the situation, anger them more and lead more people to join this group of people.'

"Mr. Ashcroft replied, 'I am not prepared to say we have to give up values to appease the terrorist.'"