[El Gato]

Containment is for those who lack the will to defend themselves.

I would say that containment is for those who value their own skins more than their ambitions. If someone doesn't care much about their own skin, or has "plausibly deniable" allies or lackeys who don't care about theirs, then containment will and has failed.

[MHGinTN]

There is the confused notion that Al Qaeda and Iraq and Hamas and Hezbollah seek to bring American citizens to a terrorized state. This is short-sighted. Al Qaeda and Iraq (to name but two) want nothing less than the destruction of America as a world power. The traditional goal of terrorists is to immobilize a people and persuade them to not fight. The goal of these enemies of America goes much further; these enemies want to bring down this nation. Because of that reality, this 'war on terrorism' is actually a war to survive as a nation. What Colin Powell presents on Wednesday should be viewed in the context of defining a very dangerous and active enemy and that enemy's connection to fellow enemies hell-bent on our destruction, not just our immobilization.

[habs4ever]

I'm not sure I understand your post.