On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 12:18:57 -0700, Doug Pensinger wrote > "In the Persian Gulf region, the presence of American forces, along > with British and French units, has become a semipermanent fact of > life. Though the immediate mission of those forces is to enforce the > no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, they represent the > long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a > region of vital importance. Indeed, the United States has for > decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional > security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the > immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force > presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein."
That certainly fits with what I've heard from returnees from Iraq -- we're not rebuilding Iraq, we're building U.S. bases. Nick _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
