Here is my honest sentiment on the Iraq War: I like seeing al qaida get killed and lining up to get killed; however, I do not like to think of the USA as the “hired hessians” for the House of Saud and the other Arab weak sisters. They need to tow the line and pay in blood, not just oil, for their safety. Saddam was their problem, and Israel’s, but not the UN’s or the USA’s.
Al qaida is a sunni group; Iran is shia. These are our two top “muslim facist” foes (though I wonder what Iran has done that can’t be traced back to decades of US gaming them both internally and against Iraq). Why not step aside and let them wreak their violence upon each other until they see the light (if ever)? I am afraid the answer is because we need oil and its free flow through the straits.
I know these ideas will chap some folks’ hides, but this is the way I currently see it. I am open to counterargument.
Well, the reality is that we do need the oil. This need didn't just spring up a few years ago, and it isn't going to go away in a few years. It is in our interest to keep the region operating to some reasonable degree. We could as you say leave them alone and let them work it out themselves, but unfortunately some in the region aren't content to just sell us oil... they also want to kill us. That's where we need to step in and deal with it proactively.
Yes, they are so very interested in fighting each other. That’s why Al Qaida attacked buildings in Tehran on 9/11.