Nothing to add Akenaton - only personal attack.

Does George Galloway rely on myths, half-truths, misrepresentations and downright lies on which to base his Respect Party - Yes he most certainly does, he parades and presents them as fact to those gullible enough to accept without question.

Was Donald Rumsfeld an important member of the Reagan Administration at the time he met Saddam Hussein on 20th December, 1983 and did he try to sell arms - No he was not and no he did not.

Have Blackwater "killed" American servicemen - No they have not.

There again - as an admirer of communist totalitarianism you must be well conditioned to the lies fed from any source claiming the cloaks of socialism and egalitarianism - irrespective of what that shallow masquerade hides.

As for your - "It has become apparent to almost everyone on Mudcat, in the media, and in government, that the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath have been political and personal disasters for the West."

Firstly you can only really claim to speak for yourself - do not presume to speak on behalf of others.

Now let's see in Iraq under Saddam going on his lower average around 4620 Iraqis died at the hands of his regime every month. Their prospects were never going to get better, only worse as the future held the prospect of Saddam being succeeded by one of his sons. Since the invasion and in the ensuing insurrection a bad month has been assessed as 1500 deaths - That Akenaton is an improvement of over 3000 lives a month. And the prospects now can only get better.

Have you been reading the news papers recently? The media you claim to know so well. How many bombs went off in Iraq today Akenaton? How many in Afghanistan? Anywhere else in the world for that matter? There are reports that 35 insurgents were killed in Baghdad today and a similar number of Taleban killed in Afghanistan. In slightly more than one year the Taleban in Afghanistan have lost as many men as the US have lost since March 2003. So what are these disasters for the West?

What happened to the Taleban's Spring Offensive?

What has happened to their Summer Offensive?

What has happened to all their suicide bombers? Hell there were more bombs going off in Belfast in the mid seventies than there are in two countries that are supposed to be ablaze from end to end.