The answer to the question is that the stupid insistence that the war in Iraq is creating terrorists comes from people who grew up so sheltered that they never learned the basic lessons of the playground. That if you don't eventually stand up to the bully or the gang, the gang never stops beating you up and taking your lunch money.
Taking out Saddam was a HUGE body blow to their whole movement. A death blow? No. But a very big setback.
My beef now is that we don't seem to be pouring it on trying to finish them off while they're wounded. I feel we're letting them get up off the mat by not being aggressive enough in Iraq and not stopping them in the Southern US, and that scares the crap out of me.
There would be a big price to the USA in doing so, but I can see lots of benefits too.
It is also doubtful that Congress would ever agree with me. :0)