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My personal strategy (still evolving, admittedly):

1. Tighten security within the US (within airports, at the borders, customs, etc.)

2. Infiltrate groups of domestic Muslims that may harbor radical groups (with so many American Muslims expressing their undying fealty to the US this week, it shouldn't be hard to find willing spies).

2a. Liquidate or imprison any and all radicals that exist within the US and do so in a very public fashion. Punish severely those who harbor them.

3. Build an international coalition which will generally support our goals or will at least not actively fight against us.

4. Feign an attack on Afganistan - instead, launch an multi-pronged, devastating full-scale invasion of Iraq. Capture Saddam alive if possible. Hang him at the site of the WTC. Set up a military-style government in Iraq similar to what we had in Japan after WWII. Possibly divide the country - Internationalize the oil fields in the south and create a Kurdish homeland state in the North.

5. Send a commando unit to eliminate Osama bin Laden who will no doubt have made his presence known by this time.

6. With Israeli help, disarm the Palestinians and deport/extradite them to the area that was once Iraq. Set up a 'Palestinian homeland'.

5a. Any hostile moves by Arabic states to thwart steps 3, 4, or 5 are met with attacks by air and sea.

6. All Muslim states are invited to sign a pact stating that they renounce terrorism and will not harbor or abide terrorist groups within their borders. Those who do not are considered in a state of war with the United States.

Exit strategy: Once all Arab nations have signed the pact, they are to be monitored closely by our best on-site ally, Israel. A UN force may be kept in the 'International zone' in what was once Southern Iraq. Any breaches of the pact result in a tough military response.

Objectives completed: Neutralization of Saddam, Osama bin Laden, and other terrorist groups; final(?) answer to the Palestinian question; pacification of the Arab world through superior firepower.

Too hopeful, perhaps?

Long term?

Reinstitute the draft.

Support conservative media.

Start an techno-intelligence initative on the order of magnitude of Star Wars, the Apollo moon program or SDI to give ourselves the technological and intelligence edge again.

>>Set up a military-style government in Iraq similar to what we had in Japan after WWII. Possibly divide the country - Internationalize the oil fields in the south and create a Kurdish homeland state in the North<<

It's too bad about the Kurds-but I think we should give Iraq back to the Turks..

Your thoughts are my thoughts exactly. Great piece. I hadn't thought of #4 though, and I like it. Fake the Afghan thing and hammer Saddam.

Like you, I believe that Iraq is the major player.

Also, however, I'm convinced that Syria and Iran are very involved. I'm extremely suspicious of Saudi and Egypt. Most of the terrorists who blew up WTC and 5gon were Saudi and Egyptian. Osama is Saudi.