You also do not avoid when it is necessary and letting the situation fester. Afghanistan was the first battle of this war. It is now in Iraq's court to prove that it has really changed its spots. Let United States military personnel have country wide free access to all facilities capable of hiding or producing WMD. Saddams past actions do not warrant an "innocent until proven guilty" defense.
I don't want the US to be a World Govt, an empire demanding access to every nation. Israel and India and, I assume, Pakistan, have WMD. So does Russia, and possibly the Urkraine and Turkey. Saddam is surrounded by nations with WMD. Let that region police itself.
Time to declare the Gulf War and "War On Terror" over, and go home. Back to being a republic, not an empire.