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Sqrl said:
@Rath,

I really think you misunderstood what I've said from the beginning, your last reply brought up a lot of points I wasn't even debating, continued to state things that I've thoroughly rebutted without addressing the points I've made, and in the case of your assertion that you were correct that there wouldn't be any more attacks, you completely ignored the proof I've already linked to that you were wrong.

If you're done with the discussion then I won't carry it out with another long reply and just stop here.

@Kasz,

Do you really think a strategy from an RTS game is a valid comparison here? I mean an RTS game is a zero sum game where each player is started on equal footing with roughly equal technology, and equal resources. Sure if we were facing two other countries with our Military power and infrastructure it wouldn't be smart to stop them from counteracting each other but they aren't that powerful at all, not even close. The scenario is so fundamentally different than anything you will face in an RTS game to date that it honestly has no bearing on this discussion at all.

With that said I agree the best way to deal with it was dealing with both at once, but in reality we aren't playing a zero sum game and the phrase "dealing with" doesn't always mean military action. Iraq and Iran were at very different stages on the path of "due process" before a military move is justified.

And I won't insult your intelligence, as you did mine, for not seeing that.

On your points outside of strategy we really aren't in any major disagreement. Both you and Rath seem to miss the fact that I'm not saying we made the best decision possible by going into Iraq (far from it). My point is simply that we cannot change what has happened, and complaining about it does nothing to aid us, which is why I bolded those past tense words above for emphasis to this point.

Honestly its as sad as the 80 year old man who sits on the porch and laments about his senior year when he almost scored the winning touchdown and would have if only the coach had called his play. Half the country is caught in this mental self-pity trap and if you look through this thread you'll see what I mean, its almost like a drug. Any time the conversation of Iraq and what we're doing today comes up someone has to lament about why we went there to begin with and as the saying goes "misery loves company".

Hey, complaing doesn't help, but I was against the war beforehand because i figured it would screw us and help iran...

and it did.  So I think i get to say "I told you so".

Also i do think it's valid. The RTS method is just the most common and simple example.  All through-out history, just about every book would of told of suggested the same path.  Ignore Iraq until we can deal with Iran.  Then topple Iran, followed by Iraq.

Iran was even the bigger threat when it came to WMDs even before we knew the CIA intellegence was false.