"That's correct.......sanctions don't bring peace, and neither do weapons inspections or military "containment." Only total military victory can do so. When the Iraqi Republican Guard was in full retreat and we chose to call off our offensive rather than annihilate them to the last man (which we could've done with the greatest of ease), it was a very bad sign indeed. That decision, made by the embarrassingly inept administration of Bush Sr., has played no small part in the position we find ourselves in today. It sent the message to the Arab world that altough our military prowess was extremely formidable, our resolve and our willingness to seriously risk Amercain blood was weak. The seeds of that message were planted by the peanut farmer Carter during the Iranian hostage crisis, nurtured by GHWB by not finishing the job in the Gulf War, and confirmed by x42 many, many times. It's now harvest time."
I have to re-iterate what you said...IMO you're right on target. Most Gulf War veterans I've talked to are still angered that they weren't allowed to go on and finish Saddam. It also showed the Iranian regime our reluctance to stand by and keep Iran from swallowing Iraq. IMO, sanctions are a poor substitute for a war that was lost by Powell, Bush Sr. Administration, their influential Arab "allies", and the hand-wringing UN. We won the battle, but ultimately lost the war when we refused to remove Sodomy Hussein......no amount of sanctions will change that..