[lentulusgracchus]

The Neocons set this up with Iraq invasion. USA should have left the old semi-secular Baathist countries alone

Not hardly. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we demonstrated a simple proposition that needed to be propagated throughout the Fuzzy-Wuzzy Delirium Continuum's network of state sponsors: Dabble in terrorism, and we will pick a fight with you, come halfway around the world, stomp your guts, and kill you.

The Chinese need to see the hazard of pushing that "borrowed knife" stuff themselves. They're next AFAIC.

[zeestephen]

Re: “We” demonstrated a simple proposition...

I agree - if “we” means Republicans.

Al Gore came within a few hundred votes of being President on 9-11.

I seriously doubt that Gore would have launched a full scale invasion of land locked Afghanistan and deposed the Taliban.

I absolutely do not believe that Gore would have invaded Iraq.

And I absolutely do not believe that Obama would fight the Chinese or any Chinese surrogate.