Nobody, at least in civilized countries, wants war. The Bush administration correctly identified Iraq as a threat in the region. As long as a madman like Saddam Hussein rules that country, I really believe war is pretty much inevitable. This won't be the first time he's tried to occupy a neighboring country, will it?
Saddam's emnity towards Israel is well known. Capturing Jordan gives him a border with Israel and a base from which to attack. He will try to portray himself as the savior of the Palestinians, and by extension, the entire Arab world.
So... while I agree with the sigh and wish there was a way to avoid all this, I think we, as a nation, have to be prepared to protect our interests and our friends in the region, which happen to include both Jordan and Israel.
Was it not yesterday that the Saudi's had positioned 8 brigades at some Jordanian border. Okay who will it be on what border tomorrow?
DEBKA is always fun to read, but that's about it.