First: ISIS makes it clear that the U.S. airstrikes and re-entry into Iraq are the reason for its call to kill Americans:

O Muslims, America claimed when it first began this crusade, that it was defending its interests in Erbil and Baghdad and defending its citizens. Thereafter its blunder became clear, and the falsehood of its claims became obvious. It claimed that through its airstrikes it would save those expelled and left homeless in Iraq, and defend the civilians.

... Dear Muslims, America hasn’t come with its crusade in order to save the Muslims, nor does it spend its wealth in spite of the collapse of its economy and burden itself in order to arm and train the sahwah councils in Shām and Iraq out of compassion and fear for the mujahidin from the “cruelty of the khawārij,” and out of support for them as they allege....America has not come for any reason other than to wage war against Islam and the Muslims. It has not gathered its allies and spent its wealth for any reason other than to break the strength of the mujahidin. So you have the statement of Allah on one hand, and the claim of the crusaders on the other. Who are you going to believe, O Muslims?

It insists the U.S. initiated the conflict:

O Americans, and O Europeans, the Islamic State did not initiate a war against you, as your governments and media try to make you believe. It is you who started the transgression against us, and thus you deserve blame and you will pay a great price.

The price it wants to extract:

You will pay the price when your sons are sent to wage war against us and they return to you as disabled amputees, or inside coffins, or mentally ill. You will pay the price as you are afraid of travelling to any land. Rather you will pay the price as you walk on your streets, turning right and left, fearing the Muslims. You will not feel secure even in your bedrooms. You will pay the price when this crusade of yours collapses, and thereafter we will strike you in your homeland, and you will never be able to harm anyone afterwards. You will pay the price, and we have prepared for you what will pain you.

As to its call for lone wolf attacks on Americans and Europeans:

[Do] not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons, and troops of the tawāghīt. Strike their police, security, and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Destroy their beds. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves.

If you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be. Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict. Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military, for they have the same ruling. Both of them are disbelievers. Both of them are considered to be waging war [the civilian by belonging to a state waging war against the Muslims]. Both of their blood and wealth is legal for you to destroy...

ISIS's suggestions for lone wolves:

The best thing you can do is to strive to your best and kill any disbeliever, whether he be French, American, or from any of their allies....If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies. Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.

...If you are unable to do so, then burn his home, car, or business. Or destroy his crops. If you are unable to do so, then spit in his face.

Those who think ISIS is afraid of the U.S. airstrikes or that it fears the U.S. sending troops to Iraq, need to realign their thinking. That has always been an ignorant assumption. ISIS makes it perfectly clear today -- it intends to drag the U.S. back to Iraq, now that we've stuck our toe in. (It actually believes we never left, using proxies in our stead.)

O crusaders. Mobilize your forces, roar with thunder, threaten whom you want, plot, arm your troops, prepare yourselves, strike, kill, and destroy us. This will not avail you. You will be defeated. ... Send arms and equipment to your agents and dogs. Prepare them with the most modern equipment. Send them very much, for it will end up as war booty in our hands by Allah’s permission. ... Look at your armored vehicles, machinery, weaponry, and equipment. It is in our hands. Allah granted it to us. We fight you with it. So die in your rage.

... [Obmama] you claimed today that America would not be drawn to a war on the ground. No, it will be drawn and dragged. It will come down to the ground and it will be led to its death, grave, and destruction. O Obama, you claimed that the hand of America was long and could reach wherever it willed. Then know that our knife is sharp and hard. It cuts off the hands and strikes the necks.

... [Obama] Is this all you were capable of doing in this campaign of yours? Is this how far America has reached of incapacity and weakness? Are America and all its allies from amongst the crusaders and atheists unable to come down to the ground? Have you not realized – O crusaders – that proxy wars have not availed you nor will they ever avail you? Have you not realized...that the battle cannot be decided from the air at all?

The outcome, according to ISIS:

And so we promise you by Allah’s permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. ... We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His promise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market.

The only thing ISIS doesn't seem to be threatening is to send its trained fighters in Iraq and Syria to the U.S. or Europe. Instead, it is asking those who are already in these countries, or who can get there from other places, to be its proxy and conduct isolated strikes. It's not even offering to help plan the attacks -- it specifically asks no one tell them what they are planning. That's pretty telling that ISIS still has no intention of engaging the U.S. in a military war here. It wants the battles to be on its home turf.

Finally, ISIS is capitalizing on the fear caused by the beheadings, which it justifies. It thinks it is ridiculous, if not hilarious, that its beheading a few hundred apostates, traitors, spies and soldiers has caused mass hysteria in the U.S. and Europe, while Bashad's use of chemical weapons and tyrannic rule over Muslims has not prompted intervention. It blasts Obama as "vile" and other things, and repeatedly calls Kerry a "uncircumcised old geezer."

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I have maintained since the U.S. began airstrikes against ISIS that military intervention was a mistake that would only result in ISIS targeting America. Before the strikes, ISIS had never expressed an intent to attack the U.S. It was focused on tearing down borders in the Middle East to create a unified Caliphate state in which Sharia law would be imposed. It had nothing to do with us. It asked for recruits to join them in the middle east, not take action elsewhere.

When the mission creep began, and the U.S. expanded the airstrikes beyond its initial promise to limit them to humanitarian efforts and protecting American facilities and personnel, it became almost a foregone conclusion that we were headed back to yet another unnecessary, ill-advised war we probably won't win, that will come with a huge price tag both in dollars and lost human lives.

The decision to continue the air strikes may go down as the worst decision in Obama's presidency. And for all the wrong reasons, it will likely cost the Democrats the White House and Congress in the next election. The war mongers who stupidly think he should have acted with more military power sooner will rule the day.

One last note: ISIS welcomes death. I wonder if its recruits feel the same way about decades in prison. Maybe the State Department, instead of sending out pithy tweets mocking ISIS, should start tweeting the details of life at Supermax, 140 characters at a time, with pictures. That undoubtedly will be the fate of any lone wolf who gets arrested in the U.S. who doesn't succeed in killing himself along with his target.

So what now? I think both ISIS and the U.S. need to chill. As the saying goes, revenge is a dish better served cold. ISIS should go back to establishing its Caliphate and fighting the Iraqi forces, rebel groups and al Qaida factions in the Middle East who have refused to give it their allegiance. The U.S. should go back to its position that Iraq and ISIS are not our problem, the problems cannot be solved militarily, and it is the responsibility of the other governments in that part of the world, not the U.S., to respond to ISIS. Our assistance should be limited to providing intelligence to the other countries (something at which we unfortunately excel.)

If the other countries aren't up to the task, or are unwilling, and our choice is accepting a unified Caliphate state with Sharia law in the Middle East, or decades of war and destruction, along with heightened surveillance in the U.S. to prevent domestic terror threats, I (regrettably, but firmly) vote for the Caliphate state. It's time for the U.S. to stop the pretense we are the world's global police force and drop the notion that the entire world must live in a democracy, whether they want to or not.