Yes, Bill, I am completely cynical about the American 2-party system. I have utterly no faith in it anymore whatsoever. If I were an American, I would despair of the situation at this point...and I would prepare for the worst.

(Certainly in 1964 Goldwater appeared to be an extremist, but appearances can be deceiving, as you said. Johnson appeared to be someone who would not expand the war in Vietnam. That appearance was equally deceiving.)

I think a corporate decision was made to go into Iraq quite some time ago, orchestrated by thinktanks like the PNAC. They first had to transform Saddam from being a friend and ally into being a monster. That was easily achieved. They then had to wait for (or arrange) a violent crisis that would so anger and alarm the American people that they would sanction unprovoked wars of aggression on small countries which had not themselves attacked America and could not do so even if they wanted to. That was achieved.

You bet I'm cynical. I'm living next door to the most aggressive empire building nation in the post-WWII world, a nation that attacks anyone it wants to whenever it wants to, regardless of world opinion on the matter, and I consider your elections to be utter nonsense arranged to give ordinary American citizens the very false impression that they still have a voice in Washington.

However, there are any number of other things in life I am not cynical about. It just depends what the subject is, that's all.