Anyer, I think Iraq might very well respond. But for the time being, it might just be content to sit back and get the benefits of world sympathy -- including sympathy from at least two members of the Security Council and the Secretary General of the United Nations...
Frankly, however, I think your parallel with Germany in the '30's is totally off base. The fact is that American Presidents, historically, have had a penchant for playing the Lone Cowboy. It's a fine old American tradition (note the sarcasm, please). Grenada; the Panama War; the bombing of Libya, were all Lone Cowboy operations.
Ironically, the Persian Gulf War was NOT a Lone Cowboy operation. Yet, as I have noted elsewhere, Bush opted NOT to carry that operation to its ultimate (and logical) conclusion -- the removal of Saddam. He left that to Clinton.
Now, of course, there is no coalition left. And so, the Lone Cowboy rides again (with the Brits playing the part of Tonto).
jbe |
