There are U.N. deployments in Lebanon. There are U.N. deployments in Africa. They are now, and have been, about as effective in the face of tyrants and terrorists as a deployment of scarecrows, and I see no reason it would be any different anywhere else.

One would think that after years of proposing this idea, you might actually allow that reality to penetrate.

The other fantasy is the idea that if we just threw Israel (or Taiwan, or you-name-the-country) to the wolves, the bad guys wouldn't hate us any more.

Al Qaeda and similar organizations believe that all that is outside themselves must be either subjugated or destroyed. They are not the first entity in history to hold such beliefs, and they won't be the last.

You can't appease them by withdrawing our military to our own borders. They would attack our businesses overseas. Shut the businesses down, shut off trade and all American cultural influence overseas, and they would find something else.

If you read Bin Laden's writings, his list of grievances is miles long and covers the entire planet. The Palestinians are just one item.

Support of Israel is not a reason for their hatred. It's an excuse.