slushmonkey

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."
-- From "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam"
by George Bush [Sr.] and Brent Scowcroft, Time
Magazine, 1998

...Even, Ws father could figure that out...