[dennisw]

Not too shabby an analysis!

[stalin]

Our window of oportunity is closing. We should have removed him by now. It looks like the administration is either waiting until closer to the next presidencial election so he can win a second term or is waiting for public pressure to remove Sadam dies down because they really don't want to do it in the first place.

[stalin]

The last thing that we want in the Islamic world is democracy. We need brutal Kings in Iraq , Kuwait , Saudi Arabia , with an American boynet in their backs doing our bidding.

We should take control of the oil.

The Germans and French and anyone else that bitches about American mideast policy can pay $50 a barrel while the British and the rest of our friends pay $15.

[alloysteel]

The US does not have an "obsession" with removal of Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. We have a duty, much as a homeowner would have in opening a sewer line clogged with root growth. First, remove the tree, then dig up the sewer line, and clean out or replace as needed. Dirty, tedious, expensive, and diverts resources from other aspects of life, but necessary. Of course, removing Saddam from power may mean a whole lot of life changes for the Hussein family, but at the moment we are not particularly concerned with his comfort or his quality and enjoyment of life.

[jwfiv]

Great read. Thanks for posting it.

Trouble is, the writer neglected to mention another reason to knock Saddam off his throne.

If we do nothing, practice containment/appeasement, he will surely give a nuke bomb to al-queda, or a bug bomb. Maybe millions of Americans turned to ash in a moment.

Not cool.

How can Stratfor neglect to mention such an obvious eddy in the stream?

[Jim Scott]

The use of the word 'obsession' on the Bush administrations part is misplaced but otherwise, not a bad analysis, although nothing original here.

Saddam Hussein must be removed - obviously, by force - and his ability to develop WMD ended. The practical as well as the psychological advantages to this plan are inescapable.

The recognition of the Palestinian desire to destroy Israel, not to live in peace, is correct and the Bush administration now recognizes it, too. A good move forward.

I believe the oil issue is overblown but it will always be a factor. More importantly, what do we do with Saudi Arabia after Iraq has been defeated and a friendly government installed? I expect the Saudi King and his Princes will roll over and either flee for europe or else become solid U.S. allies. I would bet on the former. Good riddance.