The Baghdad raid signifies the continuing claim of the major international political actor, the United States, to initiate unilateral coercive action in circumstances in which it alone decides that such action is lawful and appropriate. This claim has been remarkably consistent over time and has not varied significantly on party lines.
Military force is never a tool to be used lightly, or universally.
In some circumstances it may be essential. In others, counterproductive. I know that many people would like to find some formula, some easy formula to apply, to tell us with precision when and where to intervene with force. But to warn against a futile quest for a set of hard and fast rules to govern the use of military force is not to say there cannot be some principles to inform our decisions. Such guidelines can prove useful in sizing and indeed shaping our forces, and in helping us to think our way through this key question.