It's no more possible to be successfully be at war with "terrorism" as it is to be at war with artillery, or at war with bombs. We may as well declare war against ghosts. We can declare war against those who use those tactics, but that would be honest.

Terrorism is a tactic used by small forces deprived of an armed force. It is a tactic used by George Washington in the War of Independence, but not by Sherman in the Civil War.

The only reason his "making Georgia howl" wasn't terrorism, it was indiscriminate war against the civilian population, after all, is because it was done by an army. Just as the Palestinians are "terrorists", but the Israelis, lobbing random artillery shells into Palestinian cities, are not "terrorists".

There are people behind the terrorist tactics. We would do well to learn who and why, and not fall for the jingoistic nonsense that "they hate freedom". People don't sacrifice themselves because "they hate freedom". That's just BS peddled by politicians for the masses.

Beating terrorism? It's not an organized force against one can declare war. It's nothing more or less than a tactic.

Arf