TK - If it takes over $200B to pick the low hanging fruit, then you make my case for me. We simply do not have the resources to pick all the fruit we need to pick. I don't think anyone can argue that Iran, Pakistan, & N. Korea - probably China too presents a more clear and present danger than did Iraq. Just as in business you look at risk and reward, cost and benefit and then decide where to spend your limited resources.

The one commonality among the 4 countries that I have named is that they have Nuclear capability and in most cases, Nuclear Inventory. Both Iran and Pakistan scare the sh!t out of me and will require us to be ready. North Korea has already shown that they sell their missle technology to Islamo Fascists. These are real threats - I have not been convinced that Iraq ever was a real threat to us. What will we have in the coffers (both money and personnel) when we have to preempt them or react to an overt action?

With all the gnashing of teeth over the UN one truth remains constant. The entire developed world is threatened by Islamic terrorism. It should have been relatively easy to gain allies in this fight - but GW and his Admin was more interested in following an ideology than in getting the job done (Old Europe comments, etc.) His decisiveness does not relieve him of the responsibility to be correct. I believe that he has failed.