Robert Fisk: Thank you. General, I'd like to try and see if you could address more of the first question which we had from our colleague up front. The Americans are specialists in surrounding places, keeping people in them, holding up for a week, if necessary, to make them surrender. These guys only had, it appears, AK-47s, and you had immense amount of firepower. Surely, the possibility of the immense amount of information they could have given coalition forces, not to mention the trials that they could have been put on for war crimes, held out a much greater possibility of victory for you if you could have surrounded that house and just sat there until they came out, even if they were prepared to keep shooting.

GEN. SANCHEZ: Sir, that is speculation.

Next slide (sic).

Robert Fisk: No, sir, it's an operational question. Surely you must have considered this much more seriously than you suggested.

GEN. SANCHEZ: Yes, it was considered, and we chose the course of action that we took.

Robert Fisk: Why, sir?

GEN. SANCHEZ: Next slide -- or, next question, please.