An Interesting Idea

Over at TechCentralStation, Lee Harris wonders if we're engaged in a blood feud with the likes of Al Qaeda, as opposed to a war. It's an interesting idea to be sure, but I don't know that I can say what the practical implications of this are. Whether al Qaeda wants a war or a feud, our aim ought to be the same: victory. That is, whether we view this as a war or a series of tit-for-tat exchanges that taken as a whole make up feud our goal has to be to get them out of the fight either by exhausting their will to fight or their ability to do so (i.e. kill 'em all). It may be easier for us to understand why al Qaeda and its allies do what they do when and where they do it, but looking at them as the Hatfields to our McCoys (or vice versa, if you prefer) doesn't change the fact that our ultimate aim is to win. Granted, it is kind of cool to be able to think of ourselves as being the Don Corleone to their Don Barzini, but it doesn't change our central aim. Besides, Michael Corleone ultimately took out the mob families who lined up behind Barzini.