Originally Posted by cmac2012

Easier said than done. Specially when you've got one contingent who thinks that "taking the fight to the enemy" is the only way to go. In this case, we don't have a large state with clearly marked army that can be hit to some advantage.

We go in, flail around, and agitate a bunch of people who were previously more or less on the fence regarding hating "the great Satan," we're likely to just spend a lot of money to make new enemies.

I said going in this was a combination tar baby/hornets nest and I got no reason to feel stupid about that prediction.

What did Jesus say about loving your enemies? He said it's easy to love your friends. Even jerks and tax collectors love their friends. I remember in spring '03, they had some coverage of a 16 year old Iraqi girl who'd been pretty badly burned on her face and hands from a missile strike. Her father was trying patiently to get some help for her. The guy looked decent. And the girl brave but scared. I had to respect the guy. He was hauling her around, looking for some kind of medical care and not finding it. He wasn't acting irate or hostile, just firmly, patiently resolute.

The guy didn't stike me as being my enemy.