And if that were the alternatives we faced in Fallujah, you'd be right.
But the choice isn't Iraqi lives versus American lives. The choice is whether we want to expend the lives of our Marines and Soldiers doing such a half-assed job, that every five or ten years, when each new crop of terrorists comes of age, that we suffer an additional and commensurate loss of Marines and Soldiers lives each time we have to go back.
Or do we want to get the job done right the first time with the lowest long-term cost in the lives of our Marines and Soldiers?
The only way to ensure the latter choice is to do one of two things: Either kill everything that walks or crawls throughout the entire middle east, no exceptions, or else be prepared to roll up your sleeves and partake in the hard work, alongside the Iraqi's, to see that Iraq becomes a place where terrorism can never flourish again.
In terms of the current battle at Fallujah, that translates to this: If you're actively engaged in terrorism, whether you are from Iraq, Syria or Iran, or even if you're just willingly providing material support or sanctuary to the terrorists, then you die. If terrorists hide men or equipment in mosques or other buildings, the same rule applies. For all other inhabitants, buildings and infrastructure, we do our damndest to avoid killing or destroying them.
That approach may appear to some to unnecessarily hazard the lives of our Marines and Soldiers, but in the long term, it saves lives....American lives.
--Boot Hill