First, I don't think a desire for justice and to punish and deter bad behavior can just be brushed off like that. If a teenager beat a bum to death for kicks, would you say, well it was only a bum, he says he won't do it anymore, I don't think the threat level is very high here, so let's forget about it? No, you would want the courts to show that they valued human life and objected to murder on principle.
Second, the terrorists have a wide network of operations, huge funding sources from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan, which we have barely made a dent in, an expressed desire to make war on us and to destroy us, a track record of attacks of growing sophistication and destructiveness, and no scruples whatsoever. All in all, I think President Bush's response has been very much proportional to this threat.
And if he has overreacted, I would certainly rather see him overreact now, instead of waiting until we lose a city. |
