" Hitler and Germany were truely a force to be reckoned with in their day. They had a potent military machine, sat in a dangerously strategic position at the heart of Europe, and were led by a man who had designs and a well thought out plan to execute a rapid shift in power in the European theatre."
Actually Reg, Hitler really wasn't a force to be reckoned with early on. Not until he broke from the League of Nations (1933) and ignored the Treaty of Versailles on disarmament which had limited his miltary capability, did he begin to pose a threat. Even so, nobody did anything about it and Hitler then began a massive buildup up of his arsenal.
France OR Britain almost certainly (together undoubtedly) could still have stopped Hitler when he first marched into The Rhineland in 1936 (breaking The Treaty of Versailles, again) Instead, those countries chose to do nothing about that either. They gave Hitler time and confidence, a pass which of course had disastrous results in the end.
This is what concerns me about Saddam. He may be a two-bit dictator now (though I think he packs more punch than you realize). But he's getting a pass from much of the world, all the while completely thumbing his nose at his obligations to UN resolutions (what's the point in having them?). Time and confidence are apparently Saddam's reward too. I for one feel as though I'm seeing history repeating itself all over again. Who knows for sure? But if we do nothing now, it could be far more expensive in terms of cost and casualty down the road.
