I guess we are seeing the Powell doctrine vs. the Rumsfeld doctrine. Powell's doctrine of war that guided the US in the 90s called for the use of overwhelming force. Rumsfeld, on the other hand, wants to reform things by using more special forces and overwhelming air power and far less ground forces.

The reason we are having a slightly more difficult time in Iraq is that we did not go in with overwhelming force. Air power can do a lot but it only goes so far. The third infantry division is in the outskirts of Bahgdad and is frequently described as a blunt force in constrast to the 101 airborne which is more of a swift strike force, in and out types. However, with Urban warfare looming, having only one infantry division seems like a miscalculation. Their flanks are unprotected and the Marines are bogged down. Another 40,000 or more strong infantry division would have been very helpful. We'll still prevail but someone noted that the reason the US is feared is because it is a super power. But in this war we have gone with the smallest possible number of ground forces needed and have not used our super power status