It's interesting how, while it might take some time, prople do come around to the realities of a situation... Let me quote directly from a Washington Post article.. and when the excerpt have been digested, look back a few months in this missive, and recap..
This is by The Washington Post's columnist Michael Chertoff, and is dated today..
Quote:
Make No Mistake: This Is War
By Michael Chertoff
Sunday, April 22, 2007; Page B07

As the rubble of the Twin Towers smoldered in 2001, no one could have imagined a day when America's leaders would be criticized for being tough in protecting Americans from further acts of war.
Now, less than six years later, that day has arrived.
Since Sept. 11th, a conspiracy-minded fringe has claimed that American officials plotted the destruction. But when scholars such as Zbigniew Brzezinski accuse our leaders of falsely depicting or hyping a "war on terror" to promote a "culture of fear," it's clear that historical revisionism has gone mainstream.
Brzezinski stated the obvious in describing terrorism as a tactic, not an enemy ["Terrorized by 'War on Terror,' Outlook, March 25]. But this misses the point. We are at war with a global movement and ideology whose members seek to advance totalitarian aims through terrorism. Brzezinski is deeply mistaken to mock the notion that we are at war and to suggest that we should adopt "more muted reactions" to acts of terrorism...."
..."A sensible strategy against al-Qaeda and others in its ideological terror network begins with recognizing the scope of the threat they pose. Al-Qaeda and its ilk have a world vision that is comparable to that of historical totalitarian ideologues but adapted to the 21st-century global network.
Is this actually a war? Well, the short answer comes from our enemies. Osama bin Laden's fatwa of Feb. 23, 1998, was a declaration of war, a self-serving accusation that America had somehow declared war on Islam, followed by a "ruling" to "kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military . . . in any country where it is possible to do it."

End of quote.
Now, this is a statement which begins to show a glimmer of understanding of the position we are in, but does not address the diplomatic Gordeon Knot which is the Middle East..
When articles based on historical knowledge of the area begin to appear.. showing someunderstanding of the inticacies of the Middle Eastern mind, and some appreciation for the manner in which they can turn situations which we would be incabable of justifying into acts of martyrdom, and have the populace accept, or believe it..
When we begin to study the problems we had, when we began to deal with the Middle East in a 'civilised' manner, and realise that our brand of 'civilisation' is but a newcomer, compared with theirs..
Then perhaps we can begin to turn our advantages into advantages, rather than liabilities.. we can learn from their calulated responses to our predicted advances, by altering the phrasing of those advances..
By addressing those who have the most power in the region.. those who hold the most sway.. And that would be the Saudi Arabians..
Chertoff was right in 're-stating' that this is a war..
But it's one which must be waged on two fronts, and against the right enemies..
Sometimes it's hard, to tell your friends from your foes..
And sometimes it's important to find out...