It's like some physics experiment gone awry. There we were, in a strange lab filled with a new substance, "Formula #1 Post 9-11 anger and fear." This substance had great potential energy, raw clay for leaders. Many things could have been done with this potential energy, both good and bad. Our current leaders chose to transfer this energy to attacking Iraq. I wish we'd done this:

1. Inspire America to move to a Hydrogen economy in under a decade with the help of Big Oil and Big Auto. Pledge 100 Billion to do it.

2. Stepped up the media focus on our global search for Bin Laden and rebranded it a "manhunt" instead of a war. Solicit the World Court's help and backing.

3. Voiced our desire to take care of Iraq, but only through the UN. Pledged that we believe the UN is the key to the future, but it needs validation, and perhaps some restructuring.

Here's why:

Hydrogen:

A positive channeling of some of the potential energy. The administration pitch's this as "detangling" us from mid-east oil, terrorists, and general support of a way of doing business we disagree with. We trump up our general disagreement with Islam's tendency to shun interest and keep 50% of their work force under wraps and unemployed and we'd prefer to do business elsewhere. We have Big Oil and Big Auto do it so we're politically viable, and we need their technology. Oh, and although they don't say it, smartly sticking to power and money as reasons, Hydrogen is plentiful, clean, and abundant in space.

Manhunt:

We find this guy and take him out, but it's a manhunt, moving it out of war and into a "global police action" and somewhat like dealing with the Mob. This channels the anger in the potential energy to a pursuit that is more understandable and would be taken better by the world. But we gently fold in the World Court, using this to substantiate it. We catch him, hopefully alive, and the Court works with us to, as much as I shudder to write this, kill him.

UN:

We use Iraq and 9-11 to modernize the UN, so it is more functional, at the same time we naturally gain, or at least keep, our ability to have great say in the organization.

Hey, a man can dream can't he?