Just say..and I know it is not possible, but just say we got out of Iraq

[Toots]

Would that be the end to the "War on Terror" or does that "war" keep going for eternity and allow the "Unitary Executive" complete control over all decisions made for ever and ever? Keeping a "War President" in control forever....I guess what I am saying is I don't think Iraq really has anything to do with Bush*/Cheney Power grabs...Ending the Iraq "war" won't solve our problems but it will save many lives..We need to think more in depth..

[cigsandcoffee]

1. Iraq is a stand-alone issue, and needn't be part of a strategy.

Morality dictates we get out now - not because it's a good way to attack the unconstitutional mess that is the Bush Administration, but because it's the right thing to do.

[EFerrari]

2. The WOT is our new Cold War, imho. Bush can't stay in

because that would rile people and it won't happen. There will be new frontman for the multinationals and their lucrative wars.

[HereSince1628]

3. It depends a lot on the personality of the national institutions...

If the institutions charged with protecting our Constitution continue to act as sycophants to domineering authoritarian leaders then the only thing that will change is the venue onto which we project military force.

BTW, the bunch of crazies in the OVP look into the future and see threats in Africa, Southern Asia, Indonesia, China and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Iraq is the perfect place to have 3-4 super bases from which the US can project military force against ALL these threats. It's seven-eight hours flying time to everything we may want to "defend" for 'western civilization.'

In the wacked out eternal cold-war mentality of the neocon OVP, and the neocon NSC, the strategic importance of these bases in Iraq is many times more important than most people realize.

The Cheney administration has NO intention of bringing troops home from Iraq. It's intention is PERMANENT bases there. They've already said so, we are supposed to bring our mindset to a settlement in Iraq like the one we have on the Korean pennisula one that stretches to the ends of our lifetimes.