[Filibuster_60]

We never had a problem with air bases - that's what carriers are for. If we went into Iraq merely to establish what we didn't lack beforehand then it wouldn't have been worth it. It's the physical presence on the ground in Iraq that makes us the dominant power in the Mideast for at least the next few years. But it's not something that can or should be maintained much longer than that, at least on the present scale.

[RAY]

We will probably have in Iraq an enclave, in the form of airbase(s) and protective ground troups, similar to that in Germany for the next several decades. This will be "arranged" and in "agreement" with the new Iraq government.