"From the brief time that we did spend occupying Iraqi territory after the war, I am certain that had we taken all of Iraq, we would have been like the dinosaur in the tar pit – we would still be there, and we, not the United Nations, would be bearing the costs of the occupation. This is a burden I am sure the beleaguered American taxpayer would not have been happy to take on."
– Norman Schwarzkopf, from his 1993 autobiography, "It Doesn't Take a Hero"
Frist bill to give families of US casualties shares in Iraq's future
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Links

Occupation Watch- international organization monitoring the US occupation of Iraq

Electronic Iraq-news portal on the US-Iraq crisis published by respected Middle East alternative news publishers, The Electronic Intifada (EI) and incorporating on the ground reports from veteran antiwar campaigners Voices in the Wilderness.

Al Jazeera-Free from the shackles of censorship and government control Aljazeera has offered its audiences in the Arab world much needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate. In the rest of the world, often dominated by the stereotypical thinking of news “heavyweights”, Aljazeera offers a different and a new perspective.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) introduced a bill into Congress today that would give the families of American soldiers killed in the Iraq invasion and occupation shares in companies such as Halliburton and Bechtel. The bill would also use corporate profits to pay the healthcare costs of wounded soldiers, including those expected to develop diseases later due to exposure to depleted uranium rounds used by the US military.

“Tremendous profits will be made in the rebuilding of Iraq as a result of the invasion and occupation," Frist said. "It's only fitting that families share in the wealth that their loved ones died to secure."

Veterans groups demanded that the bill be made retroactive to the veterans of the first Gulf War, pointing out that although only about 700 soldiers died during the war, many thousands have died since due to exposure to DU and other toxic chemicals.

A spokesperson for Halliburton expressed concerns that the bill might set a dangerous precedent, and possibly imperil the participation of American corporations in the planning and promotion of future wars.

A consortium of companies are reportedly preparing a counter-proposal, offering to place statues of US soldiers in prominent areas of Iraq, and reciting the names of deceased soldiers during the opening prayers of stockholder meetings.

Weapons of Mass Deception 

Background
Origins of Iraq War- Neocon cabal has plotted since 1991, 10 years before 9-11...

Arming Iraq and the Path to War

US troops morale in Iraq hits 'rock bottom'- Christian Science Monitor

If we'd gone to Baghdad and got rid of Saddam Hussein - assuming we could have found him - we'd have had to put a lot of forces in and run him to ground some place.

Then, you've got to put a new government in his place and then you're faced with the question of what kind of government are you going to establish in Iraq?

Is it going to be a Kurdish government or a Shi'ite government or a Sunni government? How many forces are you going to have to leave there to keep it propped up?

Secretary of Defense
Dick Cheney,
1992