Victory is at hand

[MicroBalrog]

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/27/time-to-declare-victory-al-qaeda-is-defeated-opinion/

Basically the same things I've been trying to say for years.

[Jamie B]

Or we can declare victory against the group and move on to focus on the essential challenges now facing America, notably the country's sputtering economy, but also containing a rising China, managing the rogue regime in North Korea, continuing to delay Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons, and - to the extent feasible - helping to direct the maturation of the Arab Spring.

Son of a gun! All we have to is declare victory!

Who would have thought that it was so easy!?

I'll pass on the arrogance that we are the victors.

[MicroBalrog]

So, what part of the article do you think is mistaken, factually?

[Tallpine]

While we are at it ...

Let's declare victory in the War on Poverty, and the War on Drugs, and pull out of both of those quagmires 

[Jamie B]

So, what part of the article do you think is mistaken, factually?

Yes.

While we are at it ...

Let's declare victory in the War on Poverty, and the War on Drugs, and pull out of both of those quagmires 

We have won everything!! Yea, yea, to us!

[Balog]

If you're advocating for the War on Terror ^tm "What would you consider a victory?" is a very fair question.

[Tallpine]

If you're advocating for the War on Terror ^tm "What would you consider a victory?" is a very fair question.

We are not afraid anymore 

[AmbulanceDriver]

Anyone who would consider doing us harm is too terrified of the repercussions...

[De Selby]

Anyone who would consider doing us harm is too terrified of the repercussions...

Yeah, that's kind of the point - it's not realistic.  The Nazis failed at it even using genocide as a method of terror.  

It's ironic that a nation founded by revolution now has trouble grasping why other people around the world won't be terrified into submission - they do what they're doing because they're motivated by confidence in the justness of their cause, not because they think nothing will happen to them as a result.

Trying to terrify people into not harming America will only convince more of them that the cause is just.  

[Balog]

Anyone who would consider doing us harm is too terrified of the repercussions...

MAD works on states, but there's no way to make a person convinced the only sure way to an eternity in paradise is through death in battle against the infidel "too terrified of the repercussions" now is there? I'm also curious how you think we'd know we'd reached such a point, even if it was possible? Poll likely jihadists about their level of being afraid of us?

[Perd Hapley]

I thought Obama already declared victory.

Of course, Obama saying anything kind of assures that the opposite is true...

[MicroBalrog]

Anyone who would consider doing us harm is too terrified of the repercussions...

So what you're telling me is that the War on Terror should continue as long as there's a five-man band of Muslim extremists somewhere on Earth not being afraid of America?

[lupinus]

So what you're telling me is that the War on Terror should continue as long as there's a five-man band of Muslim extremists somewhere on Earth not being afraid of America?

Of course Micro.

Large scale invasions that last for decades and billions are dollars are totally worth it.

[Ron]

One has to wonder about the intel you become privy to and the power of the institutional momentum once you become president.

Strings and levers being pulled, gears slowly grinding away, all for purposes not readily apparent or even necessarily in our national interest. Can one man, a president, derail or stop the institutional momentum?

[Jamisjockey]

The war on terror should always continue. That is to say we should be vigilant against those who would commit criminal acts of terrorism against our nation and it's peoples.
What we are instead waging is forever war with some inklings of religious crusading to boot. Some morally superior thing waged to civilize the unwashed Arab masses.

Of course Micro.

Large scale invasions that last for decades and billions are dollars are totally worth it.

Thread win.

[Jamie B]

The war on terror should always continue. That is to say we should be vigilant against those who would commit criminal acts of terrorism against our nation and it's peoples.
What we are instead waging is forever war with some inklings of religious crusading to boot. Some morally superior thing waged to civilize the unwashed Arab masses.

Exactly correct!

We need to maintain careful diligence, reduce our offensive engagements elsewhere.

It concerns me that we waste too much time, money and resources on Al Qaeda alone.

We do not know where, we do not know who, we do not know when, we do not know how - but we must be prepared! 

[lupinus]

The war on terror should always continue. That is to say we should be vigilant against those who would commit criminal acts of terrorism against our nation and it's peoples.
What we are instead waging is forever war with some inklings of religious crusading to boot. Some morally superior thing waged to civilize the unwashed Arab masses.

Yep. While we've gotten better at it, what we are still fighting is basically a scaled down conventional war against and unconventional enemy. And that simply doesn't work and the end result today is basically the same as it would have been if we had just gone in with overwhelming force, cleared house, killed what needed killing, and GTFO. If something new pops up, deal with it using the most effective means available. What we've been doing works with governments and nations, not terrorist groups. At the same times it's both overkill and ineffective.

[Hawkmoon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTivVclQQ0

[HankB]

So what you're telling me is that the War on Terror should continue as long as there's a five-man band of Muslim extremists somewhere on Earth not being afraid of America?

I think it would be very difficult to eliminate "lone wolf" type of terrorists, or even small disorganized bands, but in order to be truly effective, they need sponsorship. State sponsorship, either overt or de facto. So how about continuing the War on Terror in a manner so that any nation that would knowingly harbor that five-man band of Moslem extremists is too afraid of the consequences do so?

[Balog]

A number of nations that are ostensibly our allies harbour terrorists. Shall we invade Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan?

[cordex]

Large scale invasions that last for decades and billions are trillions of dollars are totally worth it.

FTFY

[Hawkmoon]

A number of nations that are ostensibly our allies harbour terrorists. Shall we invade Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan?

Nah. Just nuke 'em from orbit ...

[seeker_two]

A number of nations that are ostensibly our allies harbour terrorists. Shall we invade Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan?

No....but a lot of our Cold War tricks like misinformation & assasination would work well....

[HankB]

No....but a lot of our Cold War tricks like misinformation & assasination would work well....

I'm picturing viral video (perhaps leaked to Al-Jazira) of some Wahabi mullahs gnoshing on pork chops or wearing a yarmulke while studying the Torah . . . or maybe even still pictures published in some obscure minor newspaper celebrating their devotion to diversity.

[gunsmith]

I know, lets continue the obama doctrine, if there is an alleged bad guy in a remote rural village in Yemen or Pakistan, we decimate the population with drone bombs.

Parents will lose children, children will lose friends, young men will lose their beloved goats.
This will assure the remaining people will want to sing kumbaya and reject the  muslim brotherhood.