[Pearls Before Swine]

Although Iraq is always a crazed possibility, isn't this more likely a response to the rockets that have been set up by Hizbollah and that the PA is trying to import into the West Bank? If a few were fired off, and the IDF decided to clean house within 10 or 20 miles of the current border, the populace would need bomb shelters because the rest would be likely to be fired as well. Of course, in that event, it would also make sense to be prepared for Iraqi, Iranian, or Egyptian misadventures as well.

[WyCoKsRepublican]

Afghanistan will look like a "bump in the road" as we continue our mission. Iraq and Iran will be a tougher assignment, but necessary to get the the heart of all this "rubbish". Lebanon has been a God forsaken haven for the worst of the worst....We've got to hit them, and hit them hard, again and again........hoo-rah!......

[pt17]

Your explanation is most plausible. Building shelters at this time has a number of advantages including (1) protecting from Hizbollah rockets, (2) giving the populace additional places of security in times of terrorist escalation and possible incursion of Osama's bunch and (3) putting some psy-ops pressure on Iraq/Iran.

This is NOT likely to be the beginning of the end. More likely, it is the end of the beginning (of the war on terrorism).