Mr Carroll,

For the fourth time of asking:

"Where and when did I state that White Phosphorus was harmless?"

If you are not honest enough or man enough to admit your error then we shall just have to let the matter go, but it serves as a perfect example of your style of "debate", i.e. invent positions taken by people, put words into their mouths then attempt to take them to task over it. How utterly pathetic.

"...it isn't the actual killing of bin Laden that bothers me, but the repercussions from how it was done,..."

What repercussions?? Are you trying to tell us that the Pakistani Taliban had entered a "ceasefire" with the Pakistani Government immediately prior to bin Laden's death?? Are you trying to tell us that the attack that occurred immediately after the attack on bin Laden's compound was a spur of the moment thing, that it hadn't been planned days if not months before?? We are no more at risk now from islamic terrorists than we have been for any time in the last forty years.

"...which I feel fits in perfectly with the past policies of the US, and more recently, of Britain, in attempting to bring the situation to heel militarily."

What past policies? What situations? Since the end of the Second World War most have been UN operations and in most instances military intervention did succeed in stopping the killing of innocent civilians and getting both sides to negotiate a settlement. Where it hasn't worked? Rwanda? Congo? Somalia? Darfur?

"There is a huge problem of religious fanaticism involved here,"

Bullshit!!! Anyone who believes that Al-Qaeda or the Taliban are religious fanatics want their bumps read, they are a bunch of opportunistic thugs and bandits on the make, religion is merely one of the buttons they know they can press and guarantee that it will work in certain circumstances. Doubt that then review their behaviour in Musa Qalah; Swat and Buner (In all if Sharia law went against their wishes they just murdered the Cleric, and imposed the settlement that best suited them)

"...but there is just as serious a problem of the most powerful nation in the world securing its own interests, in this case, the supply of oil, by all means possible, including by force."

Ah, so its all about oil is it? Care to tell us how much oil "the most powerful nation in the world" has managed to secure for itself, by force? If it was oil they wanted why did they not invade and occupy Saudi Arabia, or better still Canada or Venezuela where they get most of their oil from, taking it all for free. Care to explain to us why the USA and the UK for that matter pays full market price for all their oil whether imported or home produced?

"Separating the assassination of bin Laden from the Middle East situation in general is, as far as I'm concerned, insane."

bin Laden never gave a rat's ass about "the middle-east situation", his primary beef has always been with the Saudi Royal family and their descision to allow them access to bases from which to launch the attacks that liberated Kuwait. No Arab has ever cared two hoots about the Palestinians, who to them are at best useful pawns in the game, to be kept in despair and poverty for as long as required after which they will just be conveniently ignored and forgotten.