>Whether we should have done it and whether we will succeed is not certain at this point but I doubt the morality of having done it will stand out in the history of the difficult times ahead.

You might be right but I would rather support aggressive action aimed clearly and directly at al-Qaeda and its offshoots/associates. If Iraq really turns out to have been some sort of major clearing house for these 'guys', then I'm much more supportive. OTOH a big-picture or geopolitical argument on its own - 'changing the face of the middle east' - is much more tricky for me. I can see its merits but would not support military adventurism generally - whether from the US, or from Australia, or anyone else.

It comes down to how directly relevant this war is to smashing terrorism, in my opinion. Given the human cost so far, general arguments for 'improving the region' are, by themselves, just not good enough in this situation