"...but that might just desensitize them to the fact that War = death and violence (by and for both sides)."

In all seriousness, I wonder what the future would have held for us had we not responded to 9-11 by going to war in Afghanistan, and then continuing the liberation of the Muslim world with the invasion of Iraq.
If, after 9-11, we had just mourned for a while and shrugged it off - what would the world be like today? How would future events have played out differently than they are going to now?
BTW, Kerry's done - put a fork in him.