This guy (Robert Andrews) sums it up quite nicely and hits the nail on the head!

The article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...ews-edit_x.htm

Some excerpts:
  • The fundamental problem is not terrorism and terrorist organizations, but one of religion, at least as viewed by Islamic extremists. Terrorism is a means to an end, not an end itself. Terrorism is the means chosen by these "holy warriors," who believe that it is their religious duty to kill Americans and that if they die in the attempt, they will be rewarded in paradise.
  • when your only tool is a hammer, you try to make all of your problems look like nails.
  • we tiptoe around the brutal fact that an extremist portion of Islam considers itself at war with us. By ignoring this insurgency's religious mainspring, we avoid facing the monumental job of draining the radical Islamist fundamentalist swamp that will produce successors to today's bin Ladens and generations of suicide "martyrs" to continue their war against us.
  • organizations can be taken down more easily than deep-seated religious beliefs can be changed. Yet, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry recently described the terrorist threat as a matter for "intelligence and law enforcement," as though al-Qaeda were just another criminal gang and the answer were to arrest Islamic terrorists and haul them into our courts.
  • We pay too little attention to the fact that the jihadists also are at war within Islam. Few of us understand that bin Laden and his al-Qaeda have killed far more Muslims than Americans. An ominous silence spreads as intimidation and assassination still the voices of moderate Muslims.
  • The jihad will end only when the Islamic world sees bin Laden and his like as heretics, not holy warriors. Such rethinking has to come from within Islam. It cannot be imposed from the outside
  • Islam is undergoing change. It will be difficult for those outside of it to influence that change. But we have no choice but to try.

Nicely put, Robert! Why is it that Democrats can't seem to understand this? You nicely explained the root of the problem, but idiots like Michael Mooron believe that the Islamic fundamentalists are attacking Americans because of "Western policy and influence" on their backwards societies. Kerry clearly doesn't have a grasp of the problem. Despite the logic displayed in your excellent article, these people STILL won't get it, but as you said " we have no choice but to try" to get them to understand.