[alloysteel]

Oh, we COULD spend that much money there. And perhaps that much money shall be spent, over a period of years, to make Iraq into a peaceful prosperous country. Most of the investment in the country, however, will be made by the Iraqis themselves. The internal development of the country shall come as a result of political and economic stability, without fear that some insurgent terrorists will sabotage and subvert the infrastructure. Islamic fascism is a djinn loose upon the land, and it shall have to be put back into its bottle. The Iraqis have need to develop their own internal controls of this continuing threat, and given assistance, they can and will do it. If they do not wish another Saddam Hussein to hold sway, they must.

[.cnI redruM]

And the downside to that is what would happen if the Iraquis are unable or unwilling to pony up. We're on the hook in Iraq. If we pay the piper, at least we call the tune.

Over time, we obviously hand over the controls and try to gracefully disengage. That, however, comes with time and patience.

[John O]

Islamic fascism is a djinn loose upon the land, and it shall have to be put back into its bottle.

There, that's more accurate