[JohnW]

The real reason(s) for going into Iraq may not be known for half a century. Whatever they may be, I'm pretty sure they are a lot more complex than we know at the present time. We only get to know, generally, what the powers that be want us to know. At the end of the day, does it really matter? The facts are these: The wellbeing of the whole world as we know it today is almost totally dependent on Western Technology and the sustenance of the Western business world which influences our buying power globally, thus giving countries worldwide the necessary revenue to function. In order to flourish WE need oil. So if that was the main reason for going in there, to have control of it, then so what? We need to remember that if the west goes bust, so does the rest of the world. The sooner we find an alternative form of energy to oil the better. I've said it before but I feel it is worth repeating. The only thing the Arabs have is oil. But for western technology they would still be grubbing around in the sand looking for lizards to eat. The sooner their damned oil runs out the happier I will be. They will then be powerless and unable to hold us to ransom. Roll on that day! I'm sure the oil companies do not want us finding alternative forms of energy at the moment for obvious reasons. However, the day will come when oil is not a viable economic option. By then, hopefully, we will have invented the successor to the internal combustion engine and they'd better make sure we can power the damn thing by something abundant in the western world.