Ireland - Where do you get the idea that a country which doesn't frequently fight with its neighbours would necessarily have forces with "no combat experience"... or, even in that case, with no ability to fight effectively if attacked? The Finns fought very effectively against the Russians in '39, and they did not need the experience of prior attack upon their neighbours to do it. Canada has fought very effectively in several wars without having launched pre-emptive attacks on anybody. The army that Canada sent into the 2 world wars was pretty much an amateur army without prior combat experience, but they fought magnificently. There are numerous other examples. What you need to fight well is patriotic fervour, good modern equipment, and good training (especially of the officers).

"LH is Bush and Blair not doing this?" [consulting their "best" available advisors, as I recommended]. Yeah, sure they are. Absolutely. I just don't happen to agree with their conclusions based on those consultations, that's all.

A common mistake made in most debates by most people is the assumption that the guys on the other side of the debate are idiots who don't have a clue what they're talking about...I am not inclined to make that assumption, Ireland, and I hope you're not inclined to make it about me either, just cos we may arrive at different conclusions about what's best to do. Intelligent and capable people often differ as to what is the best course of action in any given situation.

Where they err is in their assumption that anyone who doesn't see it their way is a dummy or an enemy or both. Not necessarily so.

Differences in opinion are usually the result of key differences in BASIC BELIEFS about life...or differences in personal background, religion, culture, race, political affiliation, etc. (BASIC BELIEFS). A different working philosophy, in other words.

The longer we talk, I suspect the more we will find that both of us are quite rational thinkers, but are proceeding from a different philosophical basis which functions at a deeper level than mere surface events.

- LH