The totalitarian Iraq was an aggressive state and it did posess threat to its neighbours. True. But the difference between 2003 Iraq and 1939 III Reich is war potential.Iraqi nuclear programme was practically snuffed with a swift'n'spectacular attack of the IAF pilots, who dropped their iron bombs with almost laser precision (kudos to them, all because their grandpas trained on RWD-8
) into Saddie's nuke reactor. Some time later Uncle Sam, who formerly was selling weapons to naughty Iraqis (including chemical/biological ones), made a successful counterattack, arm in arm with the Coalition forces, against Iraqi forces which invaded Kuwait. So after 1991 Iraq was licking its wounds after loosing most of its potential. The 2003 Iraq was far less dangerous to its neighbours than was III Reich in 1939 to the states bordering with it. The Weapons of Mass Destruction (gosh, I just love the way Americans forge new three-letter acronyms: WMD, MAD, DVD, HBO, WTF? ), even assuming they were there at that time, could not reach US shores in any way - they had no ICBMs, SSBN, strategic bombers etc. Dirty bomb? Suitcase nuke? Anyone can use it - Libyan extremist, ex-Soviet mad general, you-name-it. So the Iraq was only dangerous for the oil reserves found in Middle East - a drastic increase in price could wreak US economy. And the war was to prevent it. So the war was indeed defending America - defending America's business. So let's name things they really are and stop using those "cool names" like Operation Iraqi Freedom etc. They're here just to fool the masses.Yet the US gov. seems to not notice far greater threats. Iraqi army could be easily offed by conventional forces of its neighbours. As far as tanks are involved we call the thing "local conflict". It doesn't mean it's not important - people are dying there! - but it has only limited effect on the global stability (unless it's about... oil
). The greater effect could have the Indian-Pakistani feud - they DO have WMDs, albeit of tactical range, but we don't want to see them lobbed, right? Even greater threat to the world posess the North Korea. Let's just imagine what happens if Chinese dragon wakes up for war, provoked by Korean nukes and destabilization of the region ... we could all be FUBAR... USians, you'd better start to assemble those Raptors or you be outnumbered 3:1... and even AIM-9X can't hit 3 aircraft at once.About Bush Jr himself... he's just a puppet in the hands of his staff. Just listen to him, he doesn't really have anything to say, except for repeating the lines they give him. Maybe that's why he makes so many bloopers? Jimbo may laugh from Clinton, but apart from the "cigar case" were there books listing democratic president's mistakes during the official speeches? We, Poles, used to laugh from our ex-president, who was a simple worker, because he sometimes sounded silly with his enigmatic responses. But when we compare him with Bush Jr, we see that Lech Walesa was merely an "eccentric" in his speech, while Dubya is "plain old-fashioned stupid". And so damn stubborn. I'll bet he repeats to himself a mantra "all those who oppose me are heathens and enemies of the state, as I'm the one God has chosen".
Choosing between Kerry and Bush Jr is like choosing between diarrhea and cancer. No-one likes to have the first, but the latter is far worse.
Master Sifo-Dyas, Warbler - I'm glad you still remember me, guys
*receives the military parade with his forum buddies at his side*
EDIT: jimbo, even after reading your list I still retain my sympathy for Clinton, because I could use a good blowjob, too