The Islamic State's video-dissemination of one of its goons beheading an American is an existential challenge from which we cannot afford to shrink.

Until the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) did that, it made sense for the U.S. government to help contain it because the Islamic world, which the IS threatens most directly, must destroy it sooner or later.

But internetting that beheading was a gory declaration of America's impotence - a dare-by-deed that is sure to move countless young persons around the globe to get in on killing us, anywhere they can. The longer the Islamic State survives, the more will take up its dare. Either we kill the IS, or we will deserve the wave of terrorism that will engulf us.

Killing the IS requires neither more nor less than waging war - not as the former Bush administration waged its "war on terror," nor by the current Obama administration's pinpricks, nor according to the too-clever-by-half stratagems taught in today's politically correct military war colleges, but rather by war in the dictionary meaning of the word.

To make war is to kill the spirit as well as the body of the enemy, so terribly as to make sure that it will not rise again, and that nobody will want to imitate it.

That requires first isolating the Islamic State politically and physically to deprive all within it of the capacity to make war, and even to eat. Then it requires killing all who bear arms and all who are near them.

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Barack Obama has a plan. 

He wants to use the ceasefire talks in Cairo to strengthen Fatah, aka the "Palestinian Authority."  In remarks Wednesday (8/06), Obama said:

"I have no sympathy for Hamas. I have great sympathy for some of the work that has been done in cooperation with Israel and the international community by the Palestinian Authority. And they've shown themselves to be responsible. They have recognized Israel.  They are prepared to move forward to arrive at a two-state solution. I think [PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, aka] Abu Mazen is sincere in his desire for peace."

While the administration's new plan sounds nice in theory, it has one basic problem.

Hamas and Fatah are partners. Hamas's demands are Fatah's demands. Hamas's goals are Fatah's goals. Giving Fatah control of the borders means giving Hamas control of the borders.

Abbas said himself in a speech broadcast on the PA's official station in December 2009 , as he was trying to form the sort of Fatah-Hamas unity government that he established in April, "There is no disagreement between us [Fatah and Hamas]: About belief? None! About policy? None! About resistance? None!"

So what is Mr. Obama's Plan of Perfidy trying to accomplish?

Last week's Humor File was Nixon Was A Piker compared to Barrack Milhous Zero.  Like all good humor, it's funny because it's true:  Nixon was no piker in the scandal and mendacity department, but Zero is far worse.

Yet, at this particular conflation of events, as we simultaneously rage at Zero's awfulness and revel in its ongoing exposure, it's useful to step back and regard what's going on in America today in the context of history and economic reality.

We'll start with the case for Nixon being more destructive of our economy and freedoms than Zero, then on to the worse case regarding FDR.  For the lesson is:  it's hard to keep America down.  We go through crises and dangers, and then bounce back.  No matter how much FDR's Reds tried to support the Soviet Union, we thrived in the 1950s - and eventually got rid of the Soviet Union itself.

We can see this happening right before our eyes as we suffer the Curse of Zero.  It's not just that we all have tingles of joy running up our legs over Zero being up to his jug ears in one scandal after another.  It's that, no matter how hard Zero has tried to hamstring and suffocate the American economy, he has failed.  And we can take such advantage of his failure.