[oceanview]

if they could have driven these trucks back into Iraq and set this off, why didn't they? Instead, they went to Jordan. How does leveling civilian areas in Fallujah and Najaf stop 10 AQ terrorists from driving 3 trucks with WMD into Baghdad and setting it off?

[TomasUSMC]

Some people ask: How does leveling civilian areas in Fallujah and Najaf stop 10 AQ terrorists from driving 3 trucks with WMD into Baghdad and setting it off?

The answer is that if they see the United State willing to use massive force, and the people see the United States willing to use massive force, even against World condemnation, they will see that the reaction to their actions will not be worth it.

You see Arabs are very good at math. So when they see that for everyone of ours they lose 7000 dead, they will pick someone else to mess with. Additionally, the civilians will see that because AQ attacked the Americans, many of their friends went to the happy fornication place in the sky, they will fear US more than AQ. Thus when they see AQ, they will turn them in.

This is called Deterrence.

Fear is a much more effective deterrence than money or food or new buildings or new schools, bridges, sewers, cars, computers because you can't enjoy these things if you are dead.