but the visual image of putting a gun to the head of an infant or 4-year-old child discouraged me from supporting such a view.
True. Contrast the image to the children and mothers and fathers that were sitting peacefully in their seats on AA11, AA77, and the UAL planes on 9/11/02. The parents knew they were going to die, and that their childrens' lives were going to end within a few minutes. We don't have video, so it didn't happen. Right? Wrong!!! Picture all the orphans who were created the instant when the WTC collapsed.
Sorry, but we can't stop Islamic terrorists, communists, nazis, or any other bad guys by surgical strikes and clean wars. If 300 innocent Muslims having their throats slit and left on display stopped suicide bombers, would you think it was worth it?
Other options include...wholescale war (starvation, disease, misery, death, etc) of which, the "innocent" children and women would bear the brunt. There are 250Million arabs, what are you going to do?
This insane idea that we only have to find all those who are members of Al-Queida, and then it's Peace, Love, Kumbaya, is as stupid as GWB thinks we are. We have a nation of 250 million arabs that can't get along with their neighbors, or those 8000 miles away. It's not just one or two percent...it's an overwhelming majority and they are not going away. When GWB finishes his undeclared war (if he ever does), new terror cells will sprout up. When the DEA kills a drug kingpin, and takes down a cartel, a dozen ambitious folks look upon that as an opportunity, and the cycle repeats. You must kill this enemy by the roots.
Sorry to tell you that.
Warfighting is dirty business. It has to be so, otherwise we all would suffer.
You are so right and your words bring to mind the most painful imagery, but that does not mean we should stoop to their level. Kill the ones responsible for 9-11 along with those who supported it and would do further harm if not stopped. Allow a war-time reasonable amount of collateral damage, wherein innocent civilians are killed.
But capture an entire family, including infants, and put a bullet through their head? Sorry, but as much as I hate our enemy, I have not yet become like them.