Take a look at what "being serious" would actually mean...
Total occupation...for several generations, while providing sufficient economic growth and incentive to offer an attractive alternative for deep-rooted nationalist and tribalist tendancies. On top of that, you have to deal with the corrosive element of the true-believer islamist movement - and it doen't seem quick to let go. What's the alternative...a softer Islam? That could take generations if effected from a grass-roots approach. Top-down enforcement of a different, more western-friendly ideology? Tread lightly here...we're a corner's turn from talking about reeducation camps now.
For what...access to their oil?
I think the best approach is just to starve them out. Sanctions, like the President has previously suggested, interruption or siezure of their international commerce, total naval and air superiority in the region. I don't see any reason to put our boys in harms way on the ground there now...time and distance are on our side. The oil will be there in a couple hundred years if we still want it.
You might as well give up attempting to talk reason to people, it's the same as dealing with the anti-gun crowd. Emotions are off the charts and they want to follow their emotions rather than think through the repercussions of their actions. Give it a couple months and most of these people will regret their words.
It's just like 2003 again, people are blood thirsty because it's fun in-the-moment to them. When we double the deficit and drain their 401k fighting another pointless war in the middle east, then they'll start coming back to their senses, if we haven't found another excuse to blow something up by then.
Sanctions worked well. But sanctions aren't as fun as explosions on TV.
As an aside, yesterday, Iran had some talk show where they were discussing how to hurt Americans as bad as we hurt them by killing their general. They brain stormed for awhile, and came to the conclusion that they need to kill a marvel super hero. Flash forward to today, and Iran's government announces that they plan to attack hollywood. They're so out of touch it's hilarious.
And who [STRIKE]leaked[/STRIKE] released that classified document?
It wasn't leaked, the government mistakenly sent it to the Iraqi government in both languages, then later retracted it.
Just like any and all governmental paperwork.
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