I’m tracking, Cannoneer; but to stand on that as dogma is self-defeating. We need to hold ourselves and our allies to a higher standard.

Just like in A’stan, if we did something heinous, we were screwed for a long time; but if they did it, well… they’re insurgents, what do you expect?

My point is that for each individual, perception is reality. The average Muslim sees us as always being against their interests, and that’s just not true.

We can either render the Osamas of the world irrelevant by deflating their key issues or we can find ourselves consistently embroiled for many years to come.

I do not advocate abandoning Israel. I do advocate being even-handed in our dealings in the region.

That’s still only one plank in the Al Qaeda platform.