I wish that we had used the overwhelming force that I am advocating right now. Then we probably wouldn't have had to go back there. Also, I don't want my kids to have to go to that crap hole in the future.
Let me tell you what simplistic is; watching a couple civilian airliners flying into the largest building in downtown New York and not wanting to turn around and nuke the crap out of a society that produces terrorists. It is simple to think that we can overcome them with kindness and selective killing. These people are going to be back and they will hit us harder because we have not dropped the hammer. We refuse to confront Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for one. Screw the UN. B52s with Riyahd and Mecca looking like a parking lot. This feeding of the future terrorists crap is not going to get us anywhere until we beat them into absolute cowardice first.
I don't give a crap about winning hearts and minds. I want them to fear us so damned bad that they will never think about doing a 9/11 ever again.
Let me tell you what I will do. Broken bones, disfigured face, and probably a loss of genitals. I will take my chances with the courts. I guarantee that guy never comes around my house again, providing he lives.
Would I go after his family? No.
But we aren't talking about one person with Iraq. We are talking about a society. It is impossible to selectively remove the bad seed. You make the whole society see the effects of the conduct. Then the whole society wants to avoid the problems in the future.
Yep, that or have little brother thinking about avenging big brothers death. Or wanting to follow in his footsteps.