don\'t forget it has also united the majority of world opinion that we have a reckless idiot as a leader.

It will be interesting if this brings the decline of the U.S. as the cultural leader of the world and as a result a dominent economy. Fortunately no one else exports \"culture\" as effectively as we do. Then again possibly for the first time in some time, 3 of the top 5 movies outside the U.S. last year were not American (although all were British creations so maybe that doesn\'t count).

"Extending the war into Iraq would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Exceeding the U.N.'s mandate would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land." —George H. W. Bush, 1998