"I think unleashing 3,000 smart bombs against the city of Baghdad in the first several days of the war... to me, if those were unleashed against the San Francisco Bay Area, I would call that an act of extreme terrorism"

Pete Stark's quote is a powerful declaration about making use of military force. He is recommending that if the exact same variety of bombs were used against a civilian population in the United States, it would be considered an act of terrorism. This suggests that making use of such force versus a civilian population in Iraq is likewise an act of terrorism. Stark's quote is a pointer that war is a severe matter and should not be taken lightly. It is a reminder that making use of military force must be a last hope and that the repercussions of such actions should be considered. It is likewise a suggestion that civilians need to not be targeted in war, regardless of where they live.