[traditionalist]

I do agree with his fears of becoming semi-permanent policemen of the Middle-East. What a huge waste of time and effort. best strategy is to roll in, stomp heads, and leave after an acceptable pause. we had better get along to doing that in Afghanistan also. Wow! Someone actually made an intelligent comment on this article!

Back on topic, I think the problem is that there is no way for us to "roll in, stomp heads, and leave" as you put it. Any invasion of Iraq will inevitably lead to us being the policeman of the Near East because it will destroy the balance of power in the region.

[Petronski]

I do agree with his fears of becoming semi-permanent policemen of the Middle-East.

Better to worry about becoming permanent occupying power in some resource-poor lunarscape like Afghanistan, than in the nations with the top two proven oil reserves in the world (Arabia and Iraq).

[onedoug]

Whatever. Though evil must be confronted and fought. Islamism is incompatable with Western civilization, where Bucahnan is long on criticism but impoverished in values based solution.

[johnb838]

Don't even think of us stompin' tail and getting out. These days with Europe so castrated I admired countries with a good healthy sense of their own self interest. You can predict what they will do and you can deal with them. And I can predict that either Russia or China would loooove to corner the middle east oil market militarily if they thought they had they opportunity.

As far as empire, I'm not sure that's such a bad idea, but we're going to have to start locking up traitors, illegals, and terrorists instead of patting them on the @ss and saying "way to go" if we really want to get serious about hegemony. The real thing not what p*ssy progressives call hegemony.

Hot damn... where do ah go to sign me up fer that thar war party? Ahm ready ta open up uh can 'o whup*ss on the WORLD! Muhajajajajajajjahahhahahhah!!!!!!