Building bridges is tougher than just giving in to road rage. In this case it would yield a hell of lot better dividend.

To go to war against Islam might sound good, but it should only appeal to those that like the results of pissing into the wind. Any new Crusade would likely be as inconclusive as those idiotic excursions of "Christians" in the past. Even winning such a war would be losing and nothing of value can be won. Please don't advocate such a solution, even in jest.

And let's not cheer to greatly for the support we might be given by Europe. I am not all that happy to see the unification of Germany. I rather liked Germany divided and not the dominant player in Europe. This common market, dominated by Bonn, gives Germany pretty much what it wanted to accomplish in WWII, sans Russia.

I submit this is a competitor for the US and a threat to the hegemony we have enjoyed. In a very short time we could see our dollar under attack as the world currency as the Euro comes into its own.

For the very complicated future, the US can't afford to strike out wildly just to dispel some angst. US policy has to be very deliberate, consistent, and just for international success---muscle flexing is no longer adequate.