On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 12:44:50 +0000, Charlie Self wrote:

Yeah, well...I'm willing to bet that within 6 months to 2 years (way outside)
of the time we get out of Iraq, regardless of what happens between now and
then, some scumbag similar to Hussein is in power and will be just as bad as
ol' Saddas Insane the day we take our eyes off the place.

Why Bush, or anyone else, believes we're going to change a 20 century old
"culture" is baffling. Democracy is not something many in the Middle East
understand, at least on terms similar to those we understand it in.

Overall, our best bet all round is to make sure no one there has weapons that
can threaten us, then leave 'em the hell alone to do as they wish, which is
what's going to happen anyway.

That may all be true, but the same arguments could have been made about
Japan after WWII. And our "exit strategy" there and Germany and Korea and
Kosovo and ... was? The only place we totally exited in recent history
was Viet Nam, and that wasn't after a victory. I think the reason you
stated is precisely why the US can't "take our eyes off the place", along with
the lesson the world learned about our involvement with Germany after WWI as
opposed to WWII (evacuate and let bad guys take power because of a chaotic
state of affairs vs. the Marshall Plan and all).

-Doug