12/7    When the US and Soviets took over Berlin towards the end of the war
        both sides took much of the gold and monetary reserves hidden in
        Munich as reparation for WW2. Why can't we do the same for Iraq?
        \_ Because we invaded them under false pretenses and without cause?
           \_ 'False pretenses' is arguable.  'Without cause' is simply false.
              \_ Find a copy of "Uncovered:"
              Getting rid of Hussein is a moral enough cause for me.
              \_ I actually agree with you on the moral cause- but I meant
                 political cause, which for the US (for most of the last
                 century) has always been to counter aggression on another's
                 part.
                 Bringing morals into the equation requires that we then
                 prioritize the list of evil henchman to destroy-- and
                 Hussein, while definitely near the front of the list,
                 doesn't top it.
                 \_ out of curiosity, who does top the list?
                    personally, i think toppling hussein was more of a moral
                    imperative than some random Evil Guy because of the
                    harm we were doing there with sanctions all those years.
                    we had to either get rid of hussein or the sanctions.
                    \_ Osama would be #1 (*), Kim Jong Il (though he's too
                       nutty to attack, something should be done about him),
                       and whoever's driving the slaughters in Africa-- it's
                       not on the media radar (so much so that I can't even
                       name the country) but the number of murders there is
                       approaching Holocaust proportions.  Your point about
                       sanctions is well-taken.
                       (*) Part of the reason I'm upset about Iraq is that
                           it seems like blame shifting-- "Since Osama is too
                           hard to find [or who knows, maybe he was crushed
                           in a cave somewhere], let's attack a guy we know
                           we can find... all those Arabs look alike anyway."
                           \_ except for the part about how apparently we
                              can't find that guy either.
                              \_ ... the best-laid plans of vice and vermin
                    \_ There are a lot of evil guys in the world.  For one,
                        Royal Families in Saudi Arabia. Unlike Iraq, nor Iran
                        for that matter, Saudis are *KNOWN* for their link to
                        al Qaeda.
                        Further, the war was sold based upon weapon of mass
                        destruction.  If anything, North Koreans are the one
                        who is closest of getting the nuke and multi-stage
                        missile.  Why didn't we invade N.Korea instead?
                        Most war of aggression are waged under the moral
                        \_ Why didn't we invade NK instead?  Man, do I
                           wish we could.  But the fact is, even w/o
                           nukes NK has enough artillery on the border
                           to reduce Seoul to rubble within 24 hours.
                           THAT'S why we didn't invade.
                        \_ Ok, name one such war.
                           \_ Opium War, in the name of white man's burden.
                        ground in the history of man kind.  This is not an
                        exception neter.