I once heard a UK politician (Tony Benn) using those stats, Joe, but they seemed so incredible I decided I must have misheard. Strangely enough I could almost get my head round the six million dead. It's the bombing of 40 countries that I have real trouble with. It just beggars belief.

Just a point of detail re Joe's post. All the anti-American sentiment I hear is aimed squarely at the administration and not the people. But admittedly the distinction is often taken as read, and not spelled out as clearly as it should be. Most of the Americans I know are against a pre-emptive attack on Iraq, just as a majority of Brits are against Tony Blair's line.