Robert D.

It is interesting to look at how the concepts of "liberalism" and "conservatism", "left" and "right", have changed over the years.  My core beliefs have not changed.  I have always believed in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and will fight any attempt to limit personal freedom.  Thirty years ago I was a moss-backed conservative.  Now I am a wild-eyed liberal.

The "conservatives" of today have created mega-bureaucracy
that marches lock-step toward mindless conformity under the mantra of "homeland security" and are hell-bent on bankrupting the nation by combining massive tax cuts with the largest expansion of entitlement programs since the "Great Society".  As another liberal is fond of saying, "But that's just my opinion.  I could be wrong."

If that doesn't get this thread deleted, I give up!  :-)

Your post was dashing, by the way.

Iswote ...I'm glad to hear that your wife is OK and you have sorted out the bills. Congratulations on the baby. Good Luck.

Thats becoming pretty obvious, no surprise there. Nor is it any surprise that Iraq is developing into the chronic longterm, low intensity conflict many predicted. Our people are dying in Afghanistan every week and it's been years.

I tend to stay outta political discussions because people tend only to focus on the present and fail to consider cause and effect. I'm not liberal, just logical.

Saddam would have been better off left alone, he'd have died soon enough. In my opinion he's a far greater threat today than he was a year ago. And it's not our job to punish dictators who oppress their own people, the USA has no right being the world's policeman. And if it thinks it does it's doing a pretty piss poor job of it, there are far greater loonies to go after...like Bush. It's us who needs a regime change, America's arrogance stands as the greatest threat to world peace today.

As as far as Saddam's boys, better start thinking about how he's gonna feel about it and stop caring how everyone else sees it. We just killed the guy's children after invading his country for smoke and mirror reasons. He's still out there along with Osama and thousands of others willing to take their places. To say we're only hardening their resolve is an understatement.

The end did not justify the means. We're gonna pay dearly for all this in the future, there is *no* defense against people who are singleminded and determined to have their pound of flesh. The Israelis still haven't learned that. Whether it's drugs, prostitution or occupation of other countries, history shows increased enforcement and attempts to impose your will upon a people only lead to bigger problems. The past will be nothing compared to the stuff to come. Even when you're a thousand times their size, if you poke a hornet's nest you're gonna get badly stung. It's typical American arrogance that prevents our so-called leaders from understanding this.

Btw, see where 'ol Idi Amin is on his deathbed? Another one about to bite the dust. Him and Pol Pot were true bad guys and we did nothing. That just leaves North Korea and a whole bunch of others. What a shame, so many despots and so little time.

And what was up with the Jessica Lynch media circus? What a dog and pony show that was...

When I first heard the news on CNN it was presented as a victory that would hasten the end of the war.  My post was a clumsy effort to say that all we have done is strengthen the resolve of our enemy.