Excuse me for saying this. But "strategy" had very little to do with the success of the war. Given our ovewhelming military superiority and given the incompetence of the Iraqis it would have been hard for us to lose this thing.

The so-called "pause" was merely the result of our troops moving far more quickly than expected in the face of a collapsing Iraqi army. We outstretched our supply lines. Perhaps the fedayeen surprised us a bit but not significantly so.

In virtually all of our wars from the past century American war deaths equaled about one in every fifteen soldiers. In this war it will likely not exceed one in every two thousand American soldiers.

What this should tell you is that this war was won well before it ever began. The Iraqis were never a serious threat. Saddam's much hyped "republican guard" were, in actuality, a third military force.