Larry, we all know you were closest to ground zero and have afforded you deference in light of that knowledge. Your opinions are likely to carry added weight from your personal experience. May I politely and sincerely suggest that you have advantages to squander if you so choose, with, perhaps, a hint of condescension.

Dan

To answer your probably rhetorical questions:

Virtually no one wishes for war.
The Taliban are not a legitmate government by international conventions. They are thugs refusing to cooperate.
Killing or imprisoning bin Laden is not to scare him. It is intended to deactivate him personally.
Israel still exists.
A just world is not a short term viable objective. It is a long term ideal.
Yes, it appears that Afghanistan was an unfortunate sin of omission during Clinton's tenure. That's water under the bridge.