"We should figure out what [the terrorists] want us to do, and not do it."
In which case they should've shut Shrubya before his minders had him blurt out 'war' and 'harbours' at the start. The US has already done what the terrorists wanted 'em to do (continually kill some of the world's poorest Muslems from hidden positions in the stratosphere, pressure their puppet allies in the Muslem world into profoundly antagonising their constituencies, and coalesce many people's self-identities and projects into a belligerent monolith). I dare say the US is gonna advance the terrorists' cause yet more, but they've already done enough, I reckon. I suggest that the problem is that the US military-industrial complex and the terrorists might just be wanting the same thing ... lots more of this. In which case we have the sort of thing we had in July 1914 - something of an irresistable institutional tide. Somme-bound. Cheers, Rob.