Rich Lowry on "Seize Saudi Arabia before Iraq?"

Rich Lowry, editor of National Review, wrote a nice complimentary column about my "ingenious analysis" of the prerequisites for widening the war in the Middle East in my recent article "Seize Saudi Arabia before Iraq?" But Rich is more gung-ho about starting Wolfowitz's War than I am. So let me emphasize that my article was a challenge to the Big War hawks to either get serious about what extending the war beyond Afghanistan would require, or to calm down.

I wrote on Nov. 7: "Imperialism is a serious business requiring a serious foundation. If these plans to conquer and rebuild Iraq and other rogues states, however, are not to prove wholly quixotic, it may well be that the U.S. would have to first lay the groundwork by seizing control of Saudi Arabia and its oil wealth. If America is not willing to take that step, then it should reassess just how committed it is to broadening the war and afterwards overseeing the region." - 12/4/01