Iraq under U.S. Occupation?   The denials came fast after the
press ran a story in early October 2002 that the White House
contemplates the occupation of Iraq by U.S. forces and the
creation of an Occupation regime, as in Japan post-1945. Close
to a hundred thousand troops will enter Iraq, General Tommy
Franks will take over as Supreme Commander of the occupied
lands, the regime will arrest 'war criminals' and try them, and
'de-Ba’thize' Iraq.  The U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan,
National Security Council’s expert on West Asia, and a point man
on the aftermath scenarios, Zalmay Khalilzad, conceded that 'the
costs will be significant' (at least &#036;16 billion per year),
but that the U.S. will commit the necessary resources 'and we
would have the will to stay for as long as necessary to do the
job.'  When asked about the plans for occupation, Secretary of
State Colin Powell said, 'Should it come to that, and the
president hopes that it does not come to that, but should it
come that we would have an obligat