Is it just me... or: are way, waaaaaaaaayyy too many of the respondents in this thread missing the point in a big, BIG way...? :)
No, it's typical and very human. Conservatives have/had a big problem with Alan Dershowitz active ACLU role. He is a brilliant lawyer and an impressive adversary. For whatever reason he parted the Leftists party line on the subject of terrorism. He remains to be very liberal on many other issues and somehow reconcile inside of his own head (I don't know how it is possible, but he does) his logic about terrorism (where we agree) with the Leftist logic (or absence of it) on other subjects (where we disagree). He is in interesting situation: he is denounced to his dismay by his fellow travelers on the Left and still is not trusted on the Right.
I take allies where I can find them. His book Why Terrorism Works supports his mane arguments very well: a). the root cause of terrorism is its success, and b). terrorism is not a grassroots movement, but a top-down strategy chosen by the leaders because of the argument a). Therefore the strategy in response should be: a). never leave a perception that terrorism can bring benefits even if you have to punish civilians REGARDLESS of the merits of their cause and b). target and eliminate terror leaders. It can bring a temporary increase of the willing canon fodder, but it will subside later.
I recommend this book to all. While we can disagree on many subjects, he states his point with rare eloquence and care.