"This is a very popular opinion these days, but since when do we have to win the hearts and minds to win the war?" I think we do. Extreme violence just isn't a

"This is a very popular opinion these days, but since when do we have to win the hearts and minds to win the war?" I think we do. Extreme violence just isn't an option in our situation. If we did to Afghanistan what you suggest and nuke it, we'd probably find ourselves at war with France, Britain and the rest of the free world. Such a move wold probably be just as bad for America's interests as (to choose a silly example) having Osama bin Laden elected as the next president. Besides, Americans want to be the good guys. Everyone, even those war-mongering conservative (especially the war-mongering conservatives) imagines that we are heroes bringing peace to these oppressed people, or at least not hurting them. As it is, every move available to America, will make her the villain. If we kill enough people to defeat terrorism militarily, we will be guilty of violence out of proportion to the actual threat terrorism represents. (We already are, but whatever.) If we simply leave, we will be guilty of terrorizing thousands of people, helping no one in the process, leaving the countries worse off than they were before, and abandoning many people who had come to really on us. If we proceed with this robotic war, we simply alienate the people we (partly) want to help and provoke them further into becoming our enemies. If however, we can actually help them, and win their friendship, perhaps creating genuine allies in a part of the world that has good reason to hate us, then we become the good guys and everything turns out fine. But that will require an effort few Americans are willing to make.