My view on proactive engagement (I like that term! I should trademark it) is we should "eliminate" threats. But I disagree with the imminent statements that were sold to us. Even Colon Powell is backpeddling on it (as of Friday).
I would have avoided Iraq and would have glassed the fuck out of Mogadishu and the rest of Somalia (thats terrorist central), then onto Yemen (another one), beat the fuck out of the tribal leaders in Afghanistan so they stop fucking with everyone (find the last taliban and kill them), then I would stop in at Pakistan (that unpatrolled big % of it) and clean it up. Next stop would be the Abu Syaf or whatever they're called in the South phillipenes (sp). I personally see those are much more immediate threats than Iraq.
I don't buy the "Bush said theres WMD" so it's gotta be true argument. Bush has said a lot of things (just like any politician) which are not accurate by 180 degrees. You'll notice that the "evidence" we heard about has become very quiet, due to WH lawyers advising Cheney & Bush to stop calling the shit evidence, it isn't.
Problem with what we have going on, is that we are making Iran part 2. The majority are Shia, they will win any vote (unless it's tilted), the Sunni's will be simply a minority, perhaps cause a civil war. Kurds are simply fucked as they always get fucked. End result is that Iran (Shia muslim) is controlling the strings of the Shia clerics in Iraq, they are happy as all hell, we just gave Iran another country. Thats why Iran is so quiet lately, they're laughing their asses off.
I stand by what I said elsewhere in this thread. Sadaam should have been assassinated (by the Mossad preferably), get a civil war, UN security council votes to fix it. Then the UN (remember them? thats the other 5.7 billion people on this planet...the other 95%) would deploy Pakis and other muslim blue helmets at donor costs to fix it up. Flood the place with CIA under the guise of reparations, UN, whatever and flush out / cap any cells.
But I disagree with the Iraq was an imminent threat argument. They were caged up quite well.
Here is some detailed information on the whole dilemma 
