Larry Johnson makes a good observation in writing about The Myth of the Different War Sic Semper Tyrannis blog 12/19/05. He is comparing the record since 9/11 of the military in capturing jihadist terrorists compared to that of law-enforcement and intelligence:
Since Donald Rumsfeld authorized the U.S. military in January of 2003 to "find, fix, and finish" Al Qaeda and other extremist Islamic groups around the world, the U.S. military has not bagged a single major target. Instead, the key terrorist leaders, such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who have been captured or killed were nabbed through intelligence and law enforcement efforts. Our military is too big, too bulky, and too slow to effectively attack and destroy the existing terrorist networks around the world. The terrorists do not offer "good" military targets, i.e. well organized commands with massive infrastructure. They operate in cells and fully integrate themselves with civilian populations. As we saw with the destruction of Fallujah, even wiping out a city does not wipe out terrorism.
I would qualify the last sentence. It's possible that with a very localized terrorist movement, wiping out their city might well wipe out that source of terrorism.
But his point is well taken. Rummy's doing a heckuva job, just like the President said.
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