Hi Ed,
There is, of course, a whole other side to our governments efforts than that which can be read in the Telegraph or any other newspaper. The notion of cruise missiles, carpet bombing and infantry mop up of the guerilla camps is good press for the abysmally naive at home, but is hardly what will win this war. It's inconceivable to me that our government wouldn't be taking many of the steps that you suggested upsteam regarding extracting information from cell members. It would in no way surprise me to read ten years from now about a large number of "disappearances" from Hamburg, Florida, London, Karachi, Beirut, etc. This is, to me, a nasty business which must be done. The use of conventional military forces against the terrorists seems to be a non-starter on the face of it, as far as effectiveness is concerned. As a matter of headlines and publicity, I think we'll see some stuff get blown up. Some "feel good" stuff for the evening news. But the real action is going to be elsewhere.
-Ray |
