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....after re-reading that I realize I didn't bring my argument full circle.
Speaking metaphorically, the only way we are going to justify picking up the stick as against the carrot is by reference to the fact that our primary interest in being there is not the happiness of Iraqis, but the stability of the region for the purpose of making life safe for Americans. To be successful, we must ultimately do this as part of a strategy of wider confrontation with other hostile regimes in the region - Iran foremost among them, but we must do this first to reassert ourselved in Iraq where our forces are now engaged.
As long as we continue to emphasize Iraqi happiness as our guiding principle, we cannot defend a forceful policy of the type needed. We need to rethink our entire orientation in this conflict in the direction of justifying it in terms of our own interests - which we shouldn't be embarrassed to assert - and on that principle we can formulate and execute an effective strategy for bringing Iraq under control and ultimately towards a stable, free future.
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El Diablo sabe mas por viejo que por diablo.
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