Ten years ago, “total war” seemed like a feasible idea, and if it was going to become policy, it should have happened then. But it wasn’t even tried by Bush, who is the one who had 9-11 fall into his lap. There is simply no scenario for total war against terrorist Islamic Jihad in ANYONE’s bag of tricks. It becomes something of a pipe dream, much like the pipe dream that informs the Islamic fantasies occupying the minds of people like Ahmadinejad.They’re both totally unworkable , and the smaller battles will be fought piecemeal, over time, like, for example, what Israel will eventually find it necessary to do in regard to Iran.
My point was that total war is always chosen belatedly, when it is most costly, because it is considered "unthinkable." So I agree the smaller battles will be fought unless or until the Jihadists go too far, forcing more global action (total war), tardy though it might be.