Saddam is at it again.

Iraqi forces are reportedly dispersing throughout the countryside in preparation for renewed allied attacks while Saddam urges the Iraqi people to resist the UN-imposed flight ban over southern Iraq.

You would think that he would have learned his lesson the first time. This indicates that maybe we didn’t do as good a job in the first place as we thought we did.

It seems to me that the country that was supposedly defeated in the Gulf War was not really defeated at all. Iraq seems as stubborn and as dedicated to Saddam Hussein as before the Persian Gulf War even made its world premiere.

Operation Desert Storm, at the time, seemed to have been the perfect war.

A fast victory, and all of it right in our own living rooms in full CNN glory. Could we have possibly been overconfident about the whole situation?

I think the big question we should ask is why didn’t we finish it while we were there? How come there is now a good possibility for a sequel—a Gulf War II?

What if, at the end of World War II, instead of occupying the entire country of Germany, we only occupied a small part of it, told Hitler not to invade anyone again, and left, leaving the Nazi military intact?

That is basically what the allied forces did at the end of Desert Storm. Recent news reports tell of Iraqi armored forces, dozens of tanks, moving south from Baghdad.

There have also been reports of skirmishes between Iraqi and Kuwaiti forces along their border, and the man who started all the problems in the first place, Saddam Hussein, is still in

power.

Instead of winning the war, it seems that we just postponed it for a while. Every time I watch CNN, I hear reports of possible renewed military action against Iraq. If you ask me, the only thing that will shut up Saddam for good would be to go back there and finish the job, but that isn’t the prettiest solution.

Maybe if we had taken Saddam down for good while we were there the first time, it would have been a lot easier. Now, though, removing Saddam from power will be very difficult.

The majority of the American public would not like to have to go through another war again—especially the family and friends of the soldiers who will again be sent to fight.

The cost and logistics involved in moving a large military force halfway around the world again is mind boggling during these times of economic turmoil. Saddam may very well have this country right where he wants us.

Right now, he has free reign to do about anything he wants short of invading Kuwait again. Saddam will continue to see what he can get away with just like the first grader with the substitute teacher.

The sabers are rattling so loud in the Persian Gulf right now that sometimes it keeps me awake at night.

Both sides need to come to a compromise, or else the situation will continue to escalate. If a solution is not reached soon, the sequel will become reality, and like most of the movies this summer, it will not be as entertaining as the first.