And what would the same war have cost ten years from now?
I really don't think you're one of those who thinks that Saddam and his psychotic sons would have taken up knitting once the heat was off from the thousands of American troops and naval forces surrounding his country. We're already fighting a war that, for good reasons or bad, we didn't finish last time.
And if we hadn't invaded Iraq, what would Zarqawi and the other goons be doing right now? Watching the sports channel? Or going from city to city in Afghanistan?
The ostrich approach only works for so long.