While we should not sit on our hands waiting for terrorists to strike, like the coward before Mr. Bush, we also should not sink to the terrorists' level.
But I understand the emotional pull.
I have regularly remarked that islam is not unlike the manson family, with the primary difference being the number of followers each has engendered. Helter Skelter blossomed on 9/11/01, and the WTC became large scale editions of the Tate and Labianca households. I frequently ask people what the threshold would have been on 9/11....at what number of dead innocents would have osama and his lackies said, "alright, enough killing for one day...no more children...this is getting out of hand." The answer is none. The only reason 3,000 Americans were killed, and not 30,000, 300,000 or all 300 million is simply because al-qaeda's means of inflicting death were exhausted. Given the means, the slaughter would have continued until every last American was dead.
I do not descend then, to the terrorists level when I advocate retaliation which falls well within our means and, in fact would advocate placing the islamic world on notice that Mecca and Medina would be vaporized in a matter of days. Likewise, I do not wish for the wholesale slaughter of all islamists...only those who can not be deprogrammed.