Talk about covering their asses!

There will be two observable consequences should we ever make contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life.
1) It will be the single most important and exciting event in history.
2) Religious texts will quickly be revised and reinterpreted to accommodate the new circumstances. Alien life would of course be heathen/infidel.

The article, in disregarding the terrible human cost of the invasion, brings an interesting perspective. I am surprised though, that nobody has mentioned the prize that initiated the outrageous $3 trillion outlay. It is, of course, the 115 billion barrels of proven Iraqi oil reserves (not to mention unproven, undiscovered reserves). $100 per barrel represents a $11.5 trillion of proven reserves at 2008 prices (subject, of course, to extraction costs).