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Is America really prepared for hundreds of casualties, even thousands, in an invasion and subsequent occupation that could last many years?

This is the kind of question that demonstrates a complete lack of understanding as to the true nature of the situation the US is in. It reveals the questioner's belief that the Sep. 11 attacks changed nothing in the world, and are no more of an issue than any natural disaster. The author asks if America is ready to lose hundreds? We have already lost thousands, all in one day! We are in dire circumstances already, and if hundreds were all we lost in this campaign to rid the US of its enemies, then we would be lucky beyond description.

To this foolish, short-sighted author I say, here is the reality: Iraq is only the first country that we will have to destroy and rebuild in the Middle East. Others must and will follow, until we are certain that the Muslims who have declared war on us and are supported by such countries no longer have the power to invade our country and kill our citizens. No practical person would expect less than thousands of US soldiers (and, God forbid, civilians) to die in the pursuit of this cause over the coming years. But it still must be done.

Sep. 11 was a wake up alarm to most of the country and the world, but apparently a few people are still hitting the snooze button.

"The Americans are good at bombing," one Iraqi official mused. "But some day, they will have to come to the ground. And then we'll be waiting. Every Iraqi has a gun in his house, often a Kalashnikov. And every Iraqi has experience in fighting. So let's see how the Americans do when they're fighting in our streets."

Let them hide in their churches, hospitals and schools. Let them wait for us to come into their wretched cities. While they're waiting for us to commit suicide, you know what we'll be doing?

We'll be drilling for oil in Kurd territories in the north, building pipelines to get the oil out (maybe into former Soviet republics to the north). We'll be setting up airbases to guard our new oil fields, with powerful radars, Patriot missle batteries, and maybe some surprising new theater defenses that Saddam hasn't even dreamed of.

And we'll be waiting for Saddamn's stupid hordes of lemmings to come kick us out. CNN will have lots of time to set up their cameras.

(steely)