The way to defeat terrorists

Delawareonline, (A Gannett Company), has an interesting article entitled "Killing from the sky is no way to defeat terrorists". I wanted to post a comment there in response but this site, as some others I have found, provides for comments only through a Facebook login. Since I decline to participate in Facebook, I am barred from posting my comment there. I will post it here instead. Use the above link to view the original article. Here is what I would have posted:

So the correct approach is neither conventional invade, overthrow and occupy warfare nor assassination and subversion but "greater diplomatic engagement, economic aid and support for civil society". Those means have, of course, already been applied to an extent. The core recommendation here lies in the word "greater". Is it then just a matter of adding more funding and scaling up operations or must "greater" also mean smarter and if so then in what way? How do we know, in any case, that this will be any more effective than the other approaches taken. Might our actions represent meddling in the view of foreign populations and provoke even more anti-American terrorism? Wasn't that in part how Al Qaeda got started? Maybe the best defense is defense. Guard our borders, protect our infrastructure, keep an eye out. Perhaps this combined with care to not unnecessarily give foreigners grudges against us for terrorists to exploit will cause terrorism to wither for lack of motivation and opportunities for effective action.

General, If I'm going down on this I'm taking you with me.

Obama relieves Gen. Stanley McChrystal from duties as commander of U.S. and NATO troops and names Gen. David Petraeus as replacement

Advice from General Petraeus along with that of General McChrystal helped to put President Obama on the ambitious nation building course in Afghanistan against the advice of others led by Vice President Biden. Now that Obama's choice looks increasingly like a blunder that puts him in the hot seat he perhaps draws satisfaction from making sure that Petraeus will be in a hot seat of his own. I wouldn't be surprised if the selection of Petraeus was a suggestion from VP Biden.