It's a question of safety. Post 9/11, ANY threatened aircraft will be given an 'escort' in case the worst happens. Just because somebody calls in a bomb threat, are you going to take that as the sole and definitive threat to that aircraft? What if a 'subdued' hijacker / shoebomber managed to free himself and take control of the aircraft?
I do see your original point - yes, an escort wouldn't be much good to an ac that suddenly explodes mid-flight. But does it not make sense to provide an escort when something, ANYTHING suspect is happening? Perhaps a bomb would not bring the ac down, in which case I'm sure the crew would be glad of someone outside to give them a visual inspection.
I think you pissed people off by suggesting that the often difficult and dangerous job we do is nothing more than showboating in this case.
How would YOU like to be the poor sod who gets the order to shoot down an aircraft with 300+ POB? Please think about that before you denigrate our job.
In the spirint of good discussion, I have attempted to keep this post insult-free - I hope you read it as such.
16B