I think many people are GREATLY underestimating the ease of ridding the world of terrorism and terrorists. It is not as simple as blanketing Afghanistan, Iraq, or (insert your least-favorite rogue state here) with nuclear weapons and pulverizing to dust every living thing within its borders. Someone in the Clinton state department made a statement to the effect that "for every bomb you drop, you kill 100 terrorists and create 500 new ones". This is a profoundly true statement. We are at war with the Hydra, and blind force, not matter how complete in its destruction, is not likely to defeat it. As Ray Zee mentioned, we need some insight in to why terrorists are being produced in these societies, and then ask ourselves some hard questions about what REALLY can be done to end it. Dropping bombs is the easist, but not necessarily most effective, answer.


There might not be anything as disturbingly satisfying to the human brain stem as the extreme use of force when its user feels completely morally justified in its application. Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzeneger, and countless other imitators became Hollywood idols by appealing to this instinct. Adolf Hitler and bin Laden have become human anathemas in the same way. America must be both wiser and stronger than these in its decision to use (or not to use) extreme force in the coming months. I personally think we are warranted to do so, but we must pick our battles very carefully. We need Harry S Truman, not Jean Claude van Damme.