I promised thoughts about terror, including notions of perspective and consistency. My thoughts are many, and may be a bit jumbled. Apologies in advance.

I heard Peter Beinart on NPR this morning. The story is titled ‘Atlantic’ Article Explores How Obama Thinks About Terrorism, and it’s an interesting interview. (The Atlantic piece is here, and it’s worth reading.)

I have slightly mixed feelings about the whole approach to terror in these times. First off, he who talks toughest will almost always win the first round of any debate. We’ve all got an id, and for many it’s highly developed. Put differently, for many the following words—they belong to Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)—sell:

We will utterly destroy ISIS. We