[TWohlford]

The reason we are in Iraq isn't WW2 (although the author makes a good try.

The reason that we are there is our lessons from the Cold War.

For 50+ years, we "contained" the Soviets and Chinese with our presence in West Germany, Phillipines, VietNam, etc. It was a low-level war, with jets scrambling, spies dying, and espionage acts all along the way.

For 50+ years we've been "containing" North Korea. We waited for the death of the previous leader, only to get his son, who is an even worse leader. Each day along the DMZ there are gunshots. Each day there are spying attempts. It's a war with no press covereage.

So here we were, bobbing in the waters of the Persian (or Arab?) Gulf, and camped in the sands of BFE (er, Saudi Arabia). The "stragegy" is that we "contain" Saddam until somehow he's dead. OF course, at that point, he has two crazed sons, and they might live for another 60+ years.

In other words, we're in Iraq because the alternative was another 50-year containment siege, like we did in Europe, like we've done in Korea. Only this time, instead of fighting little wars like VietNam, or checking Sandinistas, we'll be dodging 777s and wondering about every container ship in the Long Beach harbor.

[HardStarboard]

>>>In other words, we're in Iraq because the alternative was another 50-year containment siege, like we did in Europe, like we've done in Korea. Only this time, instead of fighting little wars like VietNam, or checking Sandinistas, we'll be dodging 777s and wondering about every container ship in the Long Beach harbor. <<<

Original and dead on descriptiion of our choices! Good work TW! Ping

I would only add....Seattle harbor. It's my harbor although I worry about Long Beach and all the others!

[claptrap]

Vietnam wasnt a very effective "containment seige"
as I remember we left it for the viet-cong to overrun!
Im still not convinced that the soviets have been contained they are still servicing and changing fuel in their ICBMS which they still have targeted on North America. The soviets
are doing missle deals with Assad, Iran, and the usual suspects I think your "containment seige" is just wishful
thinking. The soviets and chicoms have been arming these idiot arabs for years and continue to do so!The chicoms are buying oilfields in South America and Canada. Asserting
that nutjob arabs who have no navy no long range air force no ICBMS w/multiple warheads are a threat, but the commies
who do have these things are no longer a threat doesnt make
any sense.