Well the simplest and least costly way, in the way of civilian casualties, would have been to continue the '91 campaign into Baghdad right down the "highway of death", but no one had the stomach for it. The world thought that approach wouldn't be right, especially those in the Middle East. The UN thought a peaceful solution could be forced on Saddam Hussein, so Iraq agreed to the terms of a cease fire. Terms which they have not, even today, submitted to. Remember, Saddam told his people after the Gulf War that Iraq had WON!
The world community thought it would try the kinder, gentler approach which has failed regularly in the face of dictators over the centuries, which has cause immeasurable suffering amongst the Iraqi people (only in part due to sanctions), which has NOT resulted in disarmament, and which has not deterred Saddam from pursuing illegal weapons.
Sometimes the kindler gentler approach only let's the bad guy drag out and increase the death and destruction everyone is so worried about preventing. If Saddam intended to cooperate with the UN, he's had 12 years to do it.
If we'd continued the march to Baghdad in '91, or if Saddam had completely cooperated 12 years ago, none of this would have been an issue because it would be history. Will we learn from our history with Iraq or will we continue to re-live that history with unending inspections that are only possible because of an enormous military buildup?
Saddam has NOTHING to lose by cooperating just enough to keep those who oppose action happy because if he can't fool the world, his power is gone, but as long as he can lead the UN by the nose with any little sniff of cooperation, he stays in power.
PS. This is not about America getting Iraq's oil! You don't get oil buy spending billions and billions and billions and billions of dollars to go to war unless you plan on claiming the oil rich territory as your own, and even that is an inefficent method. You get oil by buying it as the US has done, does, and will continue to do.
Now, you do go to war to ensure the free flow of something as vital as oil, but even that isn't the case here. Everyone in the Middle East who hates America is still more than happy to fill those barrels and send them to us for some American $$$. [img]smile.gif[/img]