Financial Shakeup this weekend

[emayer]

"We played schoolyard bully for no reason, other than to prove a point."

Agreed.  The issue is whether the point was worth making at the supposed wrath of our Allies.  Growing up I used to hear constant complaining about the military and nuclear presence in Germany, that is until they packed up and left.  Now they are missed for their economic and security contributions.  Many other European countries have to tread carefully on the subject of Muslim extremism as they make up a substantial portion of their constituency.  There is more to the story here than is outwardly apparant.

That said, we should come out and call the Iraq invasion for what it was:  A pre-emptive strike against Islamic extremism (both symbolic and real), a viable target to draw their attention from further attacks and our soil (successful thus far), a perfect geographic location from which to base operations in neighboring countries.  I am no hawk, but I can see the rationalization for this venture.  Our issue as a country is how the campaign was managed in the early phases, and we are paying the price for this now.

As for the cost of the war, we should be forthright about our expectations.  I would have no issue with the administration saying that they would fund reconstruction, infrastructure, and military protection provided that the costs are eventually offset by a reduction in the price of Iraqi oil.  The mere discussion of this would likely destabilize OPEC and further drive prices down.

From a historical and philisophical point, would the cost to America have been as great if we had taken a more proactive approach in dealing with Kaiser Wilhelm or Adolf Hitler?