I am responding to the comments posted by the insulters, appeasers, conspiracy theorists, and forgeters of recent history. Remember 9/11 was pre Iraq invasion. The US did have valid grounds to invade. Hard to prove to skeptics,yes but valid. This war has to be won. It is being fought against insurgents, Terrorists, yes Terrorists, remember the beheaded hostages. They have to be hunted and killed,even if it does take years. The guys over there are fighting and dying for our freedom.

DerekorDirk, 9/11 has absolutely nothing to do with Iraq.

That was the Afghanistan invasion.

Let me make this clear: Saddam was an enemy of Al Qaeda. They hated him, for numerous reasons, but largely because his dictatorship, while vile and despicable, was NOT the kind of sharia regime they seek to impose.

So no, the war in Iraq is not justified at all by 9/11, and while I'm normally happy to analyse the various arguments put forth, on this score, you're just plain wrong.

What's more, the vacuum created by Saddam's absence has now meant that Iraq is fast becoming a haven for terrorists.

Why on earth do you think that WMD's were touted as the reasons to invade Iraq? Even Bush has only alluded to connections to spruik his war, he hasn't actually directly said Iraq is a result of 9/11.

It is this kind of simplistic interpretation that has led to such gross mistakes and thousands of people dying. It is this kind of simple interpretation that allows so many people to be led unquestioningly.

Afghanistan, now that's a different story. I still say Saudi Arabia would've been more logical, though destroying the Afghan drug circles is a promising endeavour.

TurnRightThenLeft

Your faith in the UN is astounding. I am not aware of them solving any conflicts to this point of time. They have a good record of sitting on their hands while millions are slaughtered.

I doubt whether anyone on the left or right with any compassion would enjoy watching anyone die due to bad policy from any Governments. Whether the US alliance should stay in Iraq I do not know but I do know that their are some on the left that would hate it even more if the US was successful in bringing some sort of sanity to Iraq

Can I ask a rhetorical question...this caliphate that Cheney speaks of, could it ever exist?

Bin-laden and the wannabees look like they've been in the desert and the caves too long, I can't see them building a "caliphate". He doesn't look the sort to want palaces and crave respect from other world leaders, which even after the caliphate is finished, he would still need. Leaders, after all, only look for 'face' in the estimation of other leaders.

We've heard "Arab Unity" before, from the Nasser/Ba'ath/Socialist road in the 60s, the liberation from the Ottomans, before that. There seems precious little that unifies that Arabs today- and history plays it out.

A mighty Arab nation could be built out of Saudi money, Egyptian population, Gulf-state stability and the western orientation (an oxymoron if you look at the words) that lingers in North Africa.

The main lynchpin of what remains of Arab unity is of course, the USA through its support for Israel.

They all hate Israel and with Israel gone, the Arabs would have even less to agree on.

And the cause celebre for Arabs today, whether they be Lebanese Imams, Saudi princes, Moroccan students and Yemeni thugs, is US in Iraq

Hi all... not impressed by the visit but did have a small laugh. NSW had to apparently change the law so the secret service protecting the almighty Vice President could carry concealed weapons. Only comment on that was... so that they could protect themselves against the VP whose shooting prowess is well known.

Chris

The author alludes to the pillaging of Baghdad in the aftermath of invasion. Robert Woodward's book 'State of Denial' gives a Washington perspective on just how unprepared the US was for occupation. And I recall the imagery too, particularly what a modest crowd of Iraqis were there to topple Saddam's statue, then you cut away to find the rope toppling the statue is being pulled by a couple of US Army humvees. Equally significant to me was the commandeering by Coalition forces of Saddam's palaces for their HQ's. Did it not occur to them what message this sent to ordinary Iraqis..to the victors the spoils.
Bush and Howard deserve to lose big time. Blair the (naive?) idealist loses more, the Iraqi civilians most.