Did a stately pleasure dome decree

In Vietnam, the U.S. military invested significant numbers of personnel and money in maintaining huge bases, where troops could expect hot showers, air conditioning, cold beer, movies...just like back home. These prototypical shopping malls/vacation resorts, drained resources (only ten percent of personnel were available for combat in what was essentially an infantry war, the rest were support) and are said to have weakened soldiers' ability to fight their opponents, who were living in holes in the jungle.

Seems like the same thing is happening in Iraq. But it's worse -- we're creating pleasure palaces in...Saddam's pleasure palaces.

At a desert retreat where Saddam Hussein's cronies hunted gazelles and entertained mistresses, the American military is building one of its largest overseas bases since the Vietnam War, a rambling, dusty mix of tents, trailers and villas where sandbags rival chandeliers as the second-most notable architectural feature.

I'm all for morale boosting for our beleaguered troops and for centralized logistics, but can we stop using Hussein's ridiculous palaces? With their cheap construction, grotesque architecture, and ego driven artwork, they are fitting symbols of Saddam Hussein's rule. Will they also symbolize our occupation...er...liberation of Iraq?