From DougR Is that to be the U. S. goal in world affairs if Kerry is elected? For the U. S. to be popular? To bring peace and serinity to other nations?

The behavior of the U.S. today is a magnet to angry individuals or governments to strike back. The Ugly American is alive and well in the world today. How to protect this nation? Stop invading other nations and behave in a civil manner toward them.

From Old Guy Was Saddam a Bully? Who ousted Saddam? What people have lost sight of is that the insurgents are fighting to keep a democracy from taking root in Iraq. Al Quaeda is anti-democracy. . . .If you consider Bush as being evil, you are agreeing with the terrorists.

Now here's a deep thinker [not]. Old Guy, I'll put this in simple, local terms you might have heard of. Are you familiar with the progam many communities run to deal with feral cats? They spay and neutar the stray animals in the district then put them back in their neighborhood to continue hunting or being fed by neighbors. This keeps new feral animals from moving into the region, and removes the population explosion problem. Bush senior saw Saddam for what he was and drew the lines in the sand and Clinton kept them enforced. There were people in Iraq under Saddham who were unhappy ,and who were starving, or at least not thriving, because Saddham was a despot who used the oil for food program to continue to enrich himself. But he wasn't doing anywhere near the damage that Bush has done in the region today, and Bush has invited in all sorts of other feral terrorists by removing Saddam. And how many times must you be told that Saddham was not involved with Al Qaeda? If someone in Iraq claims affiliation now, they acquired it based on the fine recommendations of the U.S. that this was a terrorist group that could really get the job done.

Jaze asked Why the fuck aren't they blocking the border to Syria if that's where the insurgents are coming from? The greatest military in the world and they can't block one border? Why not?

Good question, Jaze, and one that hasn't been answered because of the role of "political correctness" on the part of the Bush administration. Here in America we don't speak the languages of the middle east and we can't look at people from over there and tell them apart. It's an old gag line but it's true here. "They all look alike." We are used to the more usual European, African American or Indian and Spanish countenances in the U.S. and can't tell the different moslem people apart. We could put lots of people at the borders over there, but what good would it do? Our people can't tell them apart or even ask questions and understand the answers to begin to guess who's telling the truth and who's lying about why they want to cross that border.

dianavan said Old Guy - Bush got elected at the expense of the people.

Bush didn't get elected, he got appointed. Gore won the election, and Gore even won Florida.

DMcG said This team saw threats where - as later evidence has demonstrated - none existed. . . .Now, compare that to the role of the "Office of Special Projects", the missing WMD, the 45-minute claim ...

Excellent point made in that documentary. I wish more of those programs would play over here. Last week Frontline played a marvelous chronological comparison of what Bush and Kerry were doing at simultaneous points in time--Bush comes out looking like a real slacker and a pampered rich man's son.

Little Hawk said The real terrorists are the ones who announced and are prosecuting the War On Terrorism, and using it to build their dictatorship. Osama was just one of their hirelings, and so was Saddam. When a hireling is no longer useful, you "lay him off" (to put it delicately). Remember when Noriega got laid off? Same basic scenario, different time and place.

You got that right! What short memories so many have here in America.

Donuel said Yesterday they shut down Wisconsin Ave in Washington DC to stage the fear and horror show sponsored by our friends at Homeland Security. They dressed people up with open gaping wounds and fatal burns to inact attacks of WMD on DC.

Timing is everything, Donuel, and they'll do everything they can to scare people into voting for Bush. I'm still waiting for that October surprise Bush's pals are cooking up.

SRS