In terms of the idea of long-term occupation - I have been reading a little bit more about this period - and you can see in that occupation are many lessons for the current occupation of Iraq. So we have these connections that go way back that people aren't aware of.
If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually control the game.
I'll not listen to reason... reason always means what someone else has got to say.