[sheltonmac]

If you're asking do I believe in pre-emptive strikes, no I do not. It removes the arguments and defenses of a just war

Exactly. The Bush Doctrine is a prescription for perpetual war and will actually serve to create more terrorists than it eliminates. Unfortunately, there is no room for logic and reason in this debate. Emotion is king.

"My country, right or wrong." "You're either with us or against us." "You can't be for the troops and against the war." Their brand of "patriotism" isn't just a joke; it's one big cliché. They claim to be concerned for their sons and daughters in the military, yet call for a war against Islam and its more than one billion followers. They say our opinions don't matter because we haven't "served our country" (a very socialist concept), but ignore that requirement when Limbaugh and Hannity open their mouths in support of the war. They forget that our own country has offered its enthusiastic support for evil regimes (Saddam's included) when it was "in our interests." They also choose to believe that America can do no wrong (at least as long as Republicans are in charge).

Worst of all, they have no idea what terrorism is. The argument that started all of this was the ridiculous notion that "we're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here." For some strange reason, they believe that terrorists from all over the world are dropping what they're doing and running to Iraq to take up arms against U.S. troops. Terrorists don't work that way. As we saw on 9/11, the terrorists we're up against are seemingly normal people, many of them with families, who blend in and strike when we least expect them. The only way to combat that kind of threat is to infiltrate their networks and flush them out through joint intelligence operations and good, old-fashioned police work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you can't fight (much less win) a Fourth Generation war with a Second Generation military.

I'd love to be able to respond to each inane post, but it becomes useless after a certain point. They have more straw men than I have matches, and their copy-and-paste tactics eliminate the possibility for any real debate or discussion.

[Linda1956]

"The only way to combat that kind of threat is to infiltrate their networks and flush them out through joint intelligence operations and good, old-fashioned police work."

Sure. Infiltrate them and flush them out. More easily said than done, and how many are you willing to sacrifice to these networks who will send the heads of those who attemt to 'infiltrate' to Al Jazeera and laugh their fannys off at the same time.

Idea, you send your infiltration idea to the White House and offer to have the heads of those who are murdered sent to you, C.O.D. and pay for their funerals and comfort their families.

One point here; since 9/11, there has not been ONE ATTACK on US soil, not ONE! We're fighting them over there instead of over here, alright. My son has been there and is going back, and he, unlike you, has actually spoken to the Iraqi people. I trust him and every other soldier who has been there more than any garbage posted by the libs here or the MSM.

Another point; you know what the world does with terrorists? They give them the "Nobel Peace Prize" like they did Yassar Arrafat. No doubt about it, if the touchy feely folks like you ever find Osama Bin Laden, he'll get one, too, because deep down in your heart, you think we deserved 9/11.

Thank God for our troops and our President.

[Steve Van Doorn]

“The only way to combat that kind of threat is to infiltrate their networks and flush them out through joint intelligence operations and good, old-fashioned police work.”

Police work only works in countries that don’t want terrorist. What do you do about countries like under Saddam’s Iraq that wanted terrorist?