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Yeah, we'd all love for the Iraqi people to run their own country in a civilized way. Even if they're only semi-successful, I think we could accept that and be happy. But from the time of the victory over Saddam until some time in the next 5-10 years, they'll need our help running the place. And we haven't done all that great. The troops on the ground seem to have performed magnificantly for the most part. But it seems there have been too few troops, and too many bureaucratic delays from military and civilian authorities back here at home.

If we can prevent civil war and establish a functioning government representing the various interest groups that want influence Iraqi policy then we can let them deal with the riffraff.

When was the last time an outside force was able to put a "representative" or "democratic" government in place within a country with divided racial and religious components? I think it was, never.

I think you can rest assured that there will be a civil war.

The civil war will be blamed on Bush.

If oil is ever commercially sold to an American subsidiary, it will be linked to Bush, Cheney, or Halliburton.

The war will never by viewed as retribution for the deaths of 3000 American civilians to a government that aided the terrorists.

The war will be seen as photos of Iraqi prisoners being abused and some blather about the destruction of the "treasures" of the cradle of humanity and how the Muslims have a right to hate us due to our kicking thier a@#.

Just sit back and let Bush "strategerize". All your enemies are belong to us. /sarcasm

The Germans were a civilized people. The Iraqis are not. With the number of troops we have and the tactics they are using, we are an irritating force instead of an occupying force. Too little, too late, with everything including the planning. Pace and Franks were the only planners with ground experience. Franks showed his intelligence by retiring immediately after we got to Baghdad. Pace is going for his thirty or he would probably be gone. Shock and awe has been replaced by awe shucks.

Any comparison between the German and Japanese occupations in relation to Iraq are completly misguided. They were severely damaged and wanted peace. The Iraqis employed the tactic of letting the military through and wait for an opportunity to hit them later. The events at Fallujah when the general showed up with three hundred of his followers showed they have a certain amount of organization left. It does not look like there any good alternatives left.