2002-09-04 Heading for Trouble

2002-09-04 Jim Webb Washington Post \US-Iraq/war/justifications\US appeasement\US-Japan/occupation http://www.jameswebb.com/articles/wapo-occupyiraq30years.html Heading for Trouble &ldquo;Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years?&rdquo; "Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years?" America's best military leaders know that they are accountable to history not only for how they fight wars, but also for how they prevent them. The greatest military victory of our time -- bringing an expansionist Soviet Union in from the cold while averting a nuclear holocaust -- was accomplished not by an invasion but through decades of intense maneuvering and continuous operations.

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The issue before us is not simply whether the United States should end the regime of Saddam Hussein, but whether we as a nation are prepared to physically occupy territory in the Middle East for the next 30 to 50 years. Those who are pushing for a unilateral war in Iraq know full well that there is no exit strategy if we invade and stay. Makes a clear historical case against invasion.   