A few days after we bombed Libya, a letter to the Durham Morning Herald urged citizens to unite behind our President. ''This is no time for criticism,'' she said. ''This is a time to unite against those who are evil.''

The letter was unnecessary, for we were already solidly united behind our leader. War does that to people. Even as we Americans were uniting behind our President, dissident Libyans were reported to be suppressing their differences and uniting against the American enemy.

War may seem a heck of a reason to bring a people together, but sometimes it’s the only thing we have in common. For when you're feeling lonely, fragmented and isolated (as many are feeling today), you're apt to take what community you can get. More than one shaky government has been saved by a little war a…