I must agree for the most part with Hesiod on Iraq. Attacking Saddam Hussein frees him to use any WMD he might have and the Arab world would applaud and support him. Building and maintaining a deterrent may keep him from using the weapons indefinitely. If we are wrong and he attacks in some way then we would be free to liberate Iraq with much stronger international support (possibly even some support from the Arab nations). Instead of invading we must redouble our efforts to limit his military acquisitions and steel ourselves for whatever attack he may eventually make. To reiterate, the message to Saddam should be, "Go ahead, make my day!"

Saddam is reasonably predictable because he does exercise a form of rational self-interest. Radical Islam on the other hand is much less so. It's fantasy ideology does not respond to such things as deterrents. It expects an act of God to destroy the enemy if they can demonstrate the strength of their faith by various acts of martyrdom. It's sad but the only way to deal with this is to give them their martyrdom in sufficient numbers while doing all we can to keep them from hurting non-martyrs along the way. Maybe we need to establish a chain of martyr clinics. "Fight the Great Satan and get your martyrdom here! Lethal injections administered while you wait! Special group rates available!"