Very good Barry, everything neatly boxed off and looked at selectively in isolation, unfortunately Barry the world does not operate that way.

To answer your question - "What has Iraq & Bin Laden got to do with one another? Another nation did not attack us, Iraq did not attack us & never planned on it."

Here are some excerpts (You can look it up and read the whole thing for yourselves) from Osama Bin Laden's "Fatwa" issued against the USA in 1996:

"It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusaders alliance and their collaborators; to the extent that the Muslims blood became the cheapest and their wealth as loot in the hands of the enemies. Their blood was spilled in Palestine and Iraq."

"Few days ago the news agencies had reported that the Defence Secretary of the Crusading Americans had said that "the explosion at Riyadh and Al-Khobar had taught him one lesson: that is not to withdraw when attacked by coward terrorists".

We say to the Defence Secretary (William Perry) that his talk can induce a grieving mother to laughter! and shows the fears that had enshrined you all. Where was this false courage of yours when the explosion in Beirut took place on 1983 AD (1403 A.H). You were turned into scattered pits and pieces at that time; 241 mainly marines solders were killed. And where was this courage of yours when two explosions made you to leave Aden in less than twenty four hours!

But your most disgraceful case was in Somalia; where- after vigorous propaganda about the power of the USA and its post cold war leadership of the new world order- you moved tens of thousands of international force, including twenty eight thousands American solders into Somalia. However, when tens of your solders were killed in minor battles and one American Pilot was dragged in the streets of Mogadishu you left the area carrying disappointment, humiliation, defeat and your dead with you. Clinton appeared in front of the whole world threatening and promising revenge , but these threats were merely a preparation for withdrawal. You have been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It was a pleasure for the "heart" of every Muslim and a remedy to the "chests" of believing nations to see you defeated in the three Islamic cities of Beirut , Aden and Mogadishu."

Or this from his 1998 Fatwa:

"The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty God, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God."

This is in addition to the words of Almighty God "And why should ye not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill- treated (and oppressed) -- women and children, whose cry is 'Our Lord, rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will help!'"

We -- with God's help -- call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan's U.S. troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson."

Osama Bin Laden's subsequent rantings (Later Fatwas) invoked total destruction of the United States and it's way of life, this struggle not to cease until the lot of you in the US converted to Islam and lived under Sharia Law.

You state with absolute conviction - "Iraq did not attack us & never planned on it". The first part of that is true in the physical sense, but it had and did attack US interests. What causes you to believe that the latter part of was correct? The Joint House Security Committee and the combined Intelligence and Security Agencies of the United States of America evaluated this possibility at length and came to completely the opposite conclusion.

I really would like to hear your explanation as to why it would have been absolutely impossible for Saddam Hussein to furnish an international terrorist group with a chemical or biological weapon for use against the US in some sort of spectacular way. The attack would be fingerprintless, particularly if it could be shown superficially that Saddam was opposed to such fundamentalist groups likely to carry-out such an attack.

By the way Barry and all my apologies regarding the typo "finestest" I'll try harder next time.

As a complete and utter outsider I gave you my opinion on how I thought things would turn out as the worst possible case should the US decide to "Cut and Run" as advocated by General Odem.

"we are peacefully fighting for a peace & for an end to an unjust war, that's what's worth fighting for" - All very laudable, unfortunately your enemy now no longer sees it that way, he has transfixed himself on your complete destruction. It no longer matters what you do, what concessions you make, he will still come after you. The only option you have is to attack, pursue and harry your enemies, until such time as he sees that the game is not worth the candle.

As for credibility with regard to matters relating to the defence of the United States of America, it's global interests and it's allies. Your stock in the world has never been higher. In the immediate post-Vietnam era, any threat of action by the US was met behind closed doors with howls of derision. Any threat of action made now, people the world over pay heed and react with immense care.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about - The storming of the US Embassy in Tehran. That happened post-Vietnam during Carter's Presidency. Could you envisage anybody attempting such a stunt today? It would be all over within six hours, the perpetrators killed plus those who sent them severly damaged if not completely destroyed.

Weak willed? Don't think so. Again Carter was weak willed and lacked credibility, GWB on the otherhand is not and has proven that when faced with tough decisions he will take them and be fully prepared to see them through - that is what is called leadership.

"So what is it you're asking us to fight for, to send our kids to die for?" - Well Barry if you believe anything your self-declared enemy has said over and over since 1993 - Your very lives and your way of life. You might laugh, but personally if someone said that they were out to destroy me and made some fairly serious moves towards achieving that end - I'd tend to believe that they were serious and I'd do my utmost to destroy them before they succeeded.