Let me get this straight. You're comparing al-Qaeda's third in command head to military commanders here in the United States?
Because if you are, then you're essentially saying that the world-wide known terrorist group that has relentlessly used suicide bombs, multiple attacks, bombings, and many other forms of terrorism has the same status as an American General leading our boys into combat.
Either you mistakenly made it sound like that, or you're just one of those. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm not comparing any organisation to another,
I'm just saying that your attitude, (we'll kill them from afar to save us at home) can be applied in either situation.
it can be applied to you, saying we'll kill those Muslims in their homes to stop them coming over here and killing us, (an event that has happened how many times in our lifetimes?).
it can be applied to the saying we'll kill those Americans before they come over here killing us.
as for the same status...
if you're comparing apples to oranges, then you have to realise that apples are apples, and oranges are oranges...
to us, non-terrorist leaders, the heroes of this war are our soldiers who are going into battle.
to them, the heroes of this war are their soldiers who are going into battle.
don't you think that in places like Afghanistan these groups apply bad words like terrorist occupiers to our forces as well?
of course, that's not how we see it, but it is how they see it...
which is why I said what I said. we'd rather kill them with a robotic plane, in their home, before they even get to the battlefield... chances are that they'd want to do the same thing.
in short, no, I'm definitely not comparing our military leaders to terrorists,
what I am saying is that the other side most likely do, and will use the same logic of "kill them before they kill us" that you did.
(does that make sense now?)