What If ... no Iraq Invasion

What-ifs are hardly worth the time, but sometimes, after a bad decision, or at least a decision that seems fraught with ill, it's worth while to indulge, if for no other reason than learning.

What if Bush hadn't pulled the trigger on Iraq, and instead, focused everything on the capture of Ben Laden?

Here are some of my thoughts.

Al Qaida would not be as potent as it is today, and Afghanistan and Pakistan might be more stable.

Israel and the Palestinian question would remain, but I wonder: would it be less volatile?

Iran might have taken care of Iraq, with another war, or something more clandestine to eliminate Saddam.

If not Iran, perhaps Saudi Arabia.

Or a stealth raid by Israeli commandos might have taken Saddam out.

Our debt-crisis would be far less.

The thousands of American soldiers returning home with severe emotional and physical injuries would be minimal.

And the nearly 6000 American deaths (Iraq and Afghanistan) would be considerable less.

Bush would have been able to claim credit for Ben Laden's capture or death.

Al Gore might have won.

Paylin Buys Votes?

Interesting article from the Seattle Times ... Palin uses oil profits to "buy" her popularity. When other states are struggling, Alaska is prospering with our hard-earned dollars.

Rightly so, Alaska is "taxing" the oil companies. Goodness, did I say that naughty word. Palin has stayed with the windfall profits tax created by President Carter, a tax fought by the oil companies. But Palin recognized how low taxes had done little to spur oil exploration, so why not tax the barrels being produced, and return some of that money to the citizens of Alaska?

Why not share this with the rest of the nation?

600,000 souls ... 300 million Americans.

Alaska - our own Saudi Arabia.