Thanks. Duh, I guess I was just too stupid to understand it all, pal. I’ll try to pay more attention to you and get this sawdust out of my head. What was I thinking?
However, wars are fought between nations, not against inanimate objects or ideas or methods. As such, how can anyone of sound mind proclaim victory in, for example, the War on Poverty? When poverty is eliminated, 100%? Or when everyone is wealthy (even less likely)?
If you were to concentrate the government's efforts to eliminating poverty in, say, Appalachia (as was done in the 1960s, you'll recall), yes, it has a chance of succeeding with a few billion dollars of other people's money thrown at it. But what really improved the lot of West Virginia coal miners was not the WOP and federal injections of cash but, rather, the run-up in the price of coal as a result of the '70s energy crisis.
Likewise, if the feds concentrated on wiping out al-Qaeda instead of "terrorism," there's a chance they could succeed in our lifetimes. Terrorism worldwide, as the Bushies say, could take generations.
I'm not willing to make a bet on an event I won't be around to see, sorry.