Why Can't We Have a Civilized Debate About the Robot Menace? Or Zombies?

Unintentional hilarity from California Yankee:

Why can't we just have a civilized debate about important issues, such as the war Islamic extremists continue to wage against us?

Because Thing One: there is no such thing as "the war Islamic extremists continue to wage against us". There are individual terrorist organizations that target the United States and/or its citizens, but to link them up into some imaginary broader 'war' is to accede to their most grandiose delusions. And most of the people who are fighting an insurgent war against the United States aren't trying to destroy us; they're fighting what they see as a hostile occupying power. And the few people in Iraq who are associated with one or another group that targets the United States wouldn't be there--wouldn't, in other words, have the opportunity to kill Americans--if we hadn't invaded in the first place.

And because Thing Two: the people who came up with this bogus frame never intended to have a 'civilized debate' about it. The whole thing was cooked up purely as a club with which to bash Democrats. And whenever any Democrat does try to have a civilized debate about national security and terrorism, it goes something like this:

Kerry: we need to fight terrorism using military, intelligence, and law enforcement means.
Republicans: Kerry wants to fight the terrorists with lawyers!!11!!!

So you can take your 'civilized debate' about your bogus frame ("The war Islamic extremists continue to wage against us: pro and con. On the pro side, we have the Democrats...") and cram it up your ass, but in a civilized way, of course.