It's not exactly land the USA is after in the classic sense, because official colonization is not politically acceptable anymore. It's market share and control of resources that is their main concern...and a small amount of actual ground for handy strategic military bases, such as Guantanamo in Cuba, and many others in many places, Iraq being the latest. Iraq may serve as a key base in future moves on Iran, Syria, or even Saudi Arabia...we'll have to wait and see who wins the next "pre-emptive war lottery" and upon what excuse.

The planners of these grand strategies care less about the American soldiers who die than they do about the dirt under their own fingernails...unless they are so emotionally naive as to believe their own propaganda. I expect a few of them are.

- LH