[swarthyguy]

>>We had a break that lasted from 1990 or so until 9/11/2001

Just being contrarian, but consider the number of attacks, overseas and at home, and I would assert we didn't quite ignore the threat, but never raised it to a high enough priority to be acted upon effectively. No real strategy, in other words, apart from treating terror as a crime, as Bush said the other night.

[Mrs. Xtrmst]

I meant a break in the psychological sense of being at war. After the Soviet Union broke apart many people had the impression that we no longer had enemies who posed a real threat. 9/11 marked the end to that reasoning although we surely were under attack before then.