"I agree with you about the president's duty to determine what is a national interest matter. That had nothing to do with my point however. The portions you responded to dealt with when we should take up moral causes which have nothing to do with national interest. Soldiers join to protect our country and/or the benefits of the job. They should not be forced to do something else without their approval or that of the public. While I'm sure many would not wish to fight for someone else, I have seen and heard many examples of US soldier bravery and self sacrifice for those in need. What I had in mind was a special force of volunteers for that type of work."

Well, that's one of the things the UN does, as well as other many other volunteer groups. The reason the UN or other groups aren't in Iraq is because these people know their lives would be endangered by actions directed from the current regime. Also note that if there was actually a free press in Iraq, we wouldn't be at war with Iraq because a despotic regime can not function with a press exposing their behavior. So one way to get peace in the world would be to strengthen the press worldwide. A free press is key ingredient for a peaceful world.