with the Sunni's since they seem to be the most peaceful and less radical than the Shites. But I am wondering who's side Bush is on. He seems to tink that his big all enclusive govt is going to wrok. I wish Saddam was back like it was in the good old days.

The only thing for sure is that we would be better off with Saddam back in power. You can say one thing for Saddam, he sure knew how to run the country. Maybe the trial could be declaired a mistrial and he could be reinststed, and we can get the hell out.

because they are farthest from the war, and seem most likely to get the quickest profit.

whoever releases a particularly deadly biological weapon that effectively wipes out every last indigenous person in the Middle East so that we can turn it into a 51st State, start pumping demonstrably cheaper oil and never need to worry about suicide bombers or terrorist attacks from them again.

Note: I said INDIGENOUS; I don’t want any of OUR troops hurt.

sand dwellers who have successfully resisted the allure of civilization just as they did thousands of years ago.

roll up your sleeves, take a weekend off, and go solve this problem for us.

I personally will pay you $1,000 if you can arrange the end of the Iraqi war and withdrawal of  all US troops within 30 days.  I'm sure there are 10 more people here who will match my offer.

PM me when the war's over - for this, I will pay.

Unless your question is purely academic, how can anyone not from that region be on a side? We (i.e., Americans/the West) cannot possibly know the reasons why the religious/ethnic groups feel the way they do toward each other. Clearly we can do little more than make a mess out of the region.  I'm on the side of getting the hell out ASAP and staying out of their business.

just great for them  --  and us.

BTW, the nomads have a "civilization" such as it is -- it's just happens to be radically at variance with the one we find ourselves ensconed within.

Hence that famous tee-sbhirt :  "Kill 'em all, and let God sort 'em out"!

I don't subscribe to that view, but it's getting increasingly difficult to resist.

key words. However, it is not "civilization" as in "civilized" and I don't mean that they are just backwards as in liberal, they are a bunch of wife abusing camel jockey nitwits.

because we all know how unlikely is that you will put your money where your mouth is - or that it would get the results you claim, even if you did.

Everybody knows Bush "conservatives" are chickenhawk blowhards.  

we can't unring this bell.   If we leave now, we are still committed indefinitely.

I think we have to sit down and figure out what we're going to do, like, maybe do everything at once.  

I'd like to limit our exposure in the mideast, but damned if there is an obvious way to do that now - what we SHOULD have done is stay the fuck out of Iraq until it was clear that the cure was better than the disease - now, who knows?

Perhaps we should concede that Iran won the war the day we invaded.  You know, declare victory and get out - cut our losses in men and money.

We could have a draft for all the Yellow Elephants who want to stay in Iraq.

That's what we get for electing morons on a feel-good platform.   Not like the Democrats have given us much of an alternative.

someone asked Ghandi what he thought of Western civilzation.

According to legend he replied [not an exact quote] :  "That's a great idea.  Maybe they'll try it."