I was going to finish with this point, but decided to put it on top so it doesn't get lost:

There aren't too many (if any) people around here who believe that military force should not ever be called on to meet a threat of terrorism. There are many around here who believe that military force should be used as a last resort, and only in cases where there is not a viable alternative. Your assertion that nothing can be done to fight terrorism without sending in troops, that in fact there are no alternatives to sending in troops, is what we are arguing about. Well, I am anyway.

In general, a president should tend to use methods on the top of the list in preference to those on the bottom. We don't seem to have a president like that. We seem to have a president who thinks that an appropriate response to a terrorist attack is to start invading uninvolved countries that we wanted to invade anyway.

On with the show:

CIA calls the president and shows him your pretty picture (not the other way around, as you had it).

First, president determines the goals. This would include consideration of how serious the provoking incident was; how serious the ongoing threat is; how good is the evidence of a link between the target in the picture and the provoking incident (ok, neocons don't spend a lot of effort on this step); how effective vs. this particular target are the various remedies available (see below). Etc.

Next, President evaluates all actions available, including...

-- Direct diplomat threats of intolerable effects, if non-compliance. What do we do for this country that we can threaten to stop? What can we start that this country will find intolerable? Embargoes, interdictions, etc.

-- Indirect diplomatic threats. What leverage do we have on the country's neighbors, friends, trade partners, etc.

-- Public outcry. Is our cause just enough that the community of nations in general will declare the state an outlaw? Will avoiding this status be compelling to the country?

-- Send in the spooks to kidnap/assassinate.

-- Surgical strike. death from above

-- Surrender Dorothy. Should only be used as next-to-last resort, since you are bound to follow the threat with an invasion, if the govt. in question does not comply.

-- Invade, take what we need, and go. (Entebe)

-- Invade, depose the country's govt. and take them on as a ward of the US.

Every time you say there are no alternatives to military force, you just make yourself sound stupid. I don't even think the Bush administration, would back you up on that position.