tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post2705348252434093329..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Politics for Adults: A World Without AmericaIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-13860996042760335862007-11-29T17:38:00.000+00:002007-11-29T17:38:00.000+00:00Good website. I like the various comments with dif...Good website. I like the various comments with different opinions from people.<BR/>Graham.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-24945113793804157412007-02-22T20:01:00.000+00:002007-02-22T20:01:00.000+00:00Party Whip - How cleverly you have discerned my "t...Party Whip - How cleverly you have discerned my "true colours" which have always been nailed to a tall mast with a spotlight trained on them.<BR/><BR/>You know that they're torturing people in Guantanamo, do you? Got any proof?<BR/><BR/>You may call chucking a koran down the loo torture, or playing Paula Abdul at 95m megawatts torture, or waterboarding torture. I guess a lot of would depend on your taste in music. <BR/><BR/>We're are fighting global terrorism, and frankly, the US seems to be the only country that understands this. This is not pretend. I support whatever it takes.<BR/><BR/>We have to protect advanced Western civilisation and that means we must defeat the zealots who feel driven on a holy mission to destroy it. Mr Bush understands this. Jimmy Carter (under whose administration this current phase of global jihad began) and Bill Clinton did not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-11607904655849572802007-02-22T18:41:00.000+00:002007-02-22T18:41:00.000+00:00The most unfortunate element of the Bush foreign p...The most unfortunate element of the Bush foreign policy for UN skeptics, to my mind, is that he has made the UN <EM>more</EM> important than it was; by making clear that he thought it wasn't important and then acting largely outside it, the ensuing problems are in part attributed to what happens when even the most powerful country in the world doesn't seek international support sufficiently assiduously.<BR/><BR/>Had things gones at least somewhat swimmingly, the UN would be forced to reform its more obnoxious aspects or it really would slip into irrelevance. Alas.<BR/><BR/>My own opinion on the UN is that it is merely, and importantly, a place for the representatives of all nations to meet and discuss important issues. Those on the Left and Right who lament its failings seem to be share a common delusion, that it can do more than it is designed or can sensibly be expected to do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-50118723449183335192007-02-22T18:27:00.000+00:002007-02-22T18:27:00.000+00:00Malcolm - of course the US uses the UN when it sui...Malcolm - of course the US uses the UN when it suits its purpose. All countries do.<BR/><BR/>John Bolton was great. Of course the left hates him! I loathe the UN and all one-worlder organisations. There is absolutely no point in it except as a retirement home for gangsters and as a cash cow for sleaze bags.<BR/><BR/>It was set up in a burst of goodwill after WWII. (For some reason, France got rewarded for being a loser.) The world has changed from 60 years ago and the UN needs to go the way of the League of Nations. It, and all its agencies, have contributed nothing and have caused damage in many places. Country-to-country diplomacy and bilateral agreementw work best.<BR/><BR/>But you are correct about Rachel Carson and "Silent Spring". All these people who want to shut down progress always do immense damage. That includes Paul Erlich and the population explosion, the announcement around 30 years ago that the world only had enough petroleum to last for another 20 years, global cooling and global warming.<BR/><BR/>Like the UN, they are all devices to control.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-45140677671598603232007-02-22T17:54:00.000+00:002007-02-22T17:54:00.000+00:00Verity""Why is it the country that opened Guantana...Verity<BR/><BR/>""Why is it the country that opened Guantanamo?" Ummmm, because no one else had the will and the intelligence to do so?"<BR/><BR/>You have truly shown your true colours here, well done. It's funny that you accuse everyone else of malice........I don't hear anyone else advocating torture.partywhiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14257410969330871574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-29870017265765752232007-02-22T17:21:00.000+00:002007-02-22T17:21:00.000+00:00wjnoifVerity, the US uses the UN when it feels it ...wjnoifVerity, the US uses the UN when it feels it necessary and in the past has been very skilful in its dealings with that body, the cuban missile crisis is a good example.<BR/> Under Bush however American diplomacy has been generally inept both with regard to the UN and around the world. It reached a nadir with appointment of John Bolton who is simply the worst advocate for his cause that I've ever seen. He managed to annoy even many of Americas' friends during his tenure.A complete embarassment to his country as many outside the Bush inner circle well knew.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37182944391941465762007-02-22T16:10:00.000+00:002007-02-22T16:10:00.000+00:00Quite a turnout here! When I commented on the sim...Quite a turnout here! When I commented on the simplicity of the ad, I meant that the reasoning was simplistic. For instance, without the US, it is unlikely that Saddam would have got into power in the first place. In 1959, Stalin was already dead - or did the Americans arrange his death?<BR/>You mention how the US were responsible for removing polio, but without the US, we would have had no book by Rachel Cason condemming DDT and condeming million to death by maleria.<BR/>Yes, you could score cheap points all day long, but the main one is, without the US, we would be no worse off - or better off because the slack would have to be taken up elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>The one good thing the US has done, it to teach people how to do business - and for that they are to be commended. However a silly advert like this isn't going to do anything but confirm everyone's prestated biases - so what is the point?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-81267212415735942372007-02-22T14:58:00.000+00:002007-02-22T14:58:00.000+00:00Way to go, Verity!Way to go, Verity!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-86294223578422058722007-02-22T14:47:00.000+00:002007-02-22T14:47:00.000+00:00Anonymous 1:32 PM. You make the point very well. ...Anonymous 1:32 PM. You make the point very well. There is an irrational rising tide of hatred for America - especially by people whose lives are not touched in any way by America. As you say, it was rational to hate the Soviet Union, and its ilk. Such malice towards a largely benign nation verges on sickness. <BR/><BR/>These America=haters don't do business with America or in America. They don't live there. They've never visited. They don't have relatives there. But they hold one truth to be self-evident, America is WRONG about everything. Wrinkled Weasel holds the laughable belief that America will only last another 30 years. If he had ever visited outrageously successful, inventive, energetic country he would never come up with such an ill-informed, laughable thought.<BR/><BR/>Party Whip writes what he imagines to be killer questions: - "Why is America the only country in the UN not to be signed up to the UN Convention on the rights of the Child?<BR/><BR/>"Why is it the only 'democracy' to continually flout the UN Convention on Torture?"<BR/><BR/>I am surprised you have to ask. The United States isn't a one-worlder nation. It accepts no authority higher than itself, except God. The UN is a slimeball organisation run by thieves, thugs and dictators. That is why President Bush made John Bolton America's ambassador to the UN. Bolton hates the UN and threw a spanner in every piece of work. The phonies at the UN didn't know how to deal with plain speaking, because everyone is supposed to admire the emperor's clothes. It's all pretend.<BR/><BR/>Americans didn't vote for anyone in the UN and thus believe, quite rightly, that it has no legitimacy in attempting to order their lives.<BR/><BR/>"Why is it the country that opened Guantanamo?" Ummmm, because no one else had the will and the intelligence to do so?<BR/><BR/>And Whip Boy, bear in mind that if America had been so inclined, it could have conquered the world by now. It has no imperialist ambitions- unlike the laughable UN.<BR/><BR/>That some states in the United States execute murderers is to its credit. I just wish the states that don't have the death penalty would wake up. I certainly wouldn't live in any of them.<BR/><BR/>Get with the programme, sweets. Or at least get informed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-14019073769173647952007-02-22T14:15:00.000+00:002007-02-22T14:15:00.000+00:00Does it not trouble you that Americans are raping,...<I>Does it not trouble you that Americans are raping, murdering and abusing Iraqis in the name of freedom?</I><BR/><BR/>War crimes are always troubling. What's less troubling is the fact that the US code of military justice provides serious punishment for such miscreants, who, after being exposed by America's robustly free media, are typically prosecuted and sent to jail. <BR/><BR/><I>Do you lose sleep because, not content with killing hundreds of thousands of its own, the tobacco industry has set its sights on the developing world?</I><BR/><BR/>This is just inane. All countries are home to firms that sell products that are potentially harmful. One can just as easily smoke Gitanes or Dunhills as Marlboros. In the US, as in most of the West, things like alcohol and tobacco are legal, because governments rightly regard prohibition as an unworkable policy that causes more harm than good. Oh, and there's also that bit about personal freedom, and not letting government tell you what to do 24/7 because it "knows" what is better for you than you do yourself. I only wish that the avoidance of prohibition toward alcohol and tobacco were applied to other harmful substances.<BR/><BR/><I>Are you ashamed that you are the last developed English speaking country that still executes people?</I><BR/><BR/>Ashamed. No. I personally find capital punishment in criminal cases to be morally unjustifiable, but only a <I>tiny</I> percentage of convicted murders in the US are executed, and that number is steadily declining as doubts about capital punishment grow. My own suspicion is that the use of the death penalty in the United States will eventually vanish. This seems to be the trend line.<BR/><BR/><I>Are you concerned that seven million illegal aliens are being alternately exploited or abused or bringing in drugs and diseases...</I><BR/><BR/>First, the number is usually reckoned to be more like 13 million, second, I'd be far more concerned if the USA <I>failed</I> to attract millions of immigrants (both illegal and legal). Apparently the "abuse" they suffer is a good deal better than their old lives in Sichuan or Chiapas.<BR/><BR/><I>...or that half of the 16 year olds (LA Times) in California cannot read and write, sufficient to read a bus timetable or pass a driving test?</I><BR/><BR/>The very software we're using to engage in this blog thread was invented in that capital of illiteracy -- like so much of what is critical in the information age. California must be doing <I>something</I> right, as it continues to be at the epicenter of technology. I strongly suspect the dubious statistics you cite (er, or don't <I>cite</I>, as the case may be) encompass young people who haven't yet mastered English because their first language is Spanish. So, America's ability to attract millions of immigrants ends up in this case making it appear that illiteracy is widespread, when in reality it's simply home to a lot of people (as it always has been) who haven't yet learnt the language.<BR/><BR/><I>Do you worry that, since there are 120 million obese people in the USA, the War on Terror may be jeopardised because they cannot recruit healthy, thin, fit people as cannon fodder?</I><BR/><BR/>The US hardly needs or could make use of a military with 120 million members. And as even a casual glance at Olympics medals totals shows, the United States is home to lots of perfectly fit people. Moreover, the medical definition of obesity hardly precludes someone from entering the armed forces, as there is that little something called "boot camp" that is designed to help fatties lose weight (and thinnies to bulk up).<BR/><BR/><I>I'll stop now. I give the USA about 30 more years before it reaches sub-soviet conditions.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, given that the wealth gap between America and EU continues to expand in America's favor, I give Europe about 15 years.<BR/><BR/><I>As Francis Urquahart said, "Nothing is forever."</I><BR/><BR/>One rather hopes the PM was referring to dreary, Guardianesque diatribes about the awfulness of the USA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-65233609123030352592007-02-22T13:55:00.000+00:002007-02-22T13:55:00.000+00:00Wrinkled Weasel writes: "What else can I say? Den...Wrinkled Weasel writes: "What else can I say? Denial isn't a river in Egypt?" What an original saying! Have you copyrighted it? <BR/><BR/>"Does it not trouble you that Americans are raping, murdering and abusing Iraqis in the name of freedom?"<BR/><BR/>No, because the very tiny minority who are behaving thusly are doing it in the name of self-gratification, not freedom. That is such a Sixth Form common room debating technique.<BR/><BR/>"Are you ashamed that you are the last developed English speaking country that still executes people?" First, you don't seem to be able to grasp that America does not execute any criminals. Please understand this because so many British people cannot get their head round the fact that "America" is a federation. Some <B>STATES</B> have the death penalty. Some <B>STATES</B> do not, according to the will of the electorates in those states. As you hate the United States (the clue is in the name) so much, you might might be more effective if you were more informed.<BR/><BR/>To address what I presume your question meant, no. I am pro the death penalty if the conviction is supported by DNA. <BR/><BR/>"are you losing sleep because the tobacco industry has set its sights on the developing world?" Are they holding a gun to their heads and making them smoke? Are you suggesting that people in the developing world can't make an adult judgement? How very patronising.<BR/><BR/>Seven million illegal aliens? You are so misinformed! There are an estimated 30m illegal aliens in the US. As well as several million legal ones. They don't "bring in drugs and diseases". They come in to work. They've got things so much their own way that they won the right, a few years ago, to have their illegal immigrant children educated in Spanish instead of English. Wow! Those cruel Americans!<BR/><BR/>"that half of the 16 year olds (LA Times) in California cannot read and write, sufficient to read a bus timetable or pass a driving test?" I didn't know illiteracy in some deprived American areas had sunk to the level of deprived British areas.<BR/><BR/>'As Francis Urquahart said, "Nothing is forever" ' I'll say one thing for you Wrinkled Weasel; you certainly do love your clichés and your ill-informed, cock-eyed view of a country I am certain you have never visited.<BR/><BR/>I am just guessing here, but I'll bet you believe in man-caused global warming? You think Al Gore's a prophet in his own time? Did you know he's one of the biggest tobacco farmers in the South?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-49805406146905563012007-02-22T13:32:00.000+00:002007-02-22T13:32:00.000+00:00I think a lot of you are missing the point (perhap...I think a lot of you are missing the point (perhaps deliberately so) in your criticisms about the ad being "simplistic" or "cartoonish" or whatever.<BR/><BR/>It's not intended to counter reasoned discourse or legitimate arguments about the failings of the US government. <I>Nobody</I> is saying that America -- or any other country, for that matter -- is beyond reproach, or doesn't make its fair share of mistakes.<BR/><BR/>I think what the ad is intended to do is speak out (and hopefully make people think) about the rising tide of <I>hatred</I> for America. It was rational to hate, say, Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany. But it's not rational to hate the United States of America, because the good done by the America <I>far</I> outweighs the bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-90288707692620610362007-02-22T12:56:00.000+00:002007-02-22T12:56:00.000+00:00Lady Finchley, that 'you'd all be speaking German'...Lady Finchley, that 'you'd all be speaking German' nonsense is utter crap. As soon as the words leave your mouth (or, in this case, your fingers) you go from being someone that can make a point against the anti-Americans to someone who'd rather believe something they heard on talk radio than think it out.<BR/><BR/>If there is a 'without America, you'd all be speaking ...' argument to be made, the language in question would be Russian.<BR/><BR/>I personally think that anti-Americanism and anti-American stereotypes are extremely harmful. That case is easier to make when people on the same side don't spout that sort of hackneyed drivel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-73585679355613324982007-02-22T12:33:00.000+00:002007-02-22T12:33:00.000+00:00VerityWhy is America the only country in the UN no...Verity<BR/><BR/>Why is America the only country in the UN not to be signed up to the UN Convention on the rights of the Child?<BR/><BR/>Why is it the only 'democracy' to continually flout the UN Convention on Torture?<BR/><BR/>Why is it the country that can get away with using rendition?<BR/><BR/>Why is it the country that opened Guantanamo?<BR/><BR/>And as another sane individual pointed out, why is it the last 'democracy' to hold executions?<BR/><BR/> America is great for TV shows and thats about it. <BR/><BR/>Get with it love.partywhiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14257410969330871574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-82295713398980772422007-02-22T12:28:00.000+00:002007-02-22T12:28:00.000+00:00Lady Finchley (how can you use her name thus?)Ill ...Lady Finchley (how can you use her name thus?)<BR/><BR/>Ill informed? I think not. I take the trouble to research the facts and figures, from more than one source before I make assertions.<BR/><BR/>I do this because I think it is important to tell the truth and to engage in debate honestly.<BR/><BR/>If you feel any assertion I have made is incorrect, please tell me what it is and be prepared to back it up with facts and your sources, and not just something you have seen on Fox News or a Pat Roberts broadcast.<BR/><BR/>I had no sympathy with Saddam Hussein, but was perfectly happy to let the UN deal with it. You see, I can hold that view because I understand that he was evil, though I also know that the American presence in Iraq was predicated on lies and the illegal desire for regime change. I am also aware that there is an anti-Israel bias in the British Media, and am angry about it, so I am not quite as stereotypical as you imply.<BR/><BR/>Of course, in the old days I would have been branded a dirty commie. You people have a history of this kind of name calling for dissenters, going back to Senator McCarthy, and frankly, I can put up with it. As far as I am concerned there is no point in engaging in further debate if the best you can do is to hurl cock-eyed abuse.Wrinkled Weaselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05291551539649118631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-87972386848661539152007-02-22T10:28:00.000+00:002007-02-22T10:28:00.000+00:00Well Wrinked Weasel, give me one country that all ...Well Wrinked Weasel, give me one country that all that isn't happening in. The amount of obese, illiterate people in the UK doesn't bear thinking about and as far as smoking - there is a choice you know. So much easier to blame it on the Americans. <BR/><BR/>As far as Iraq, I think you are mistaking American soldiers for that nice guy Saddam Husein. Of course every American soldier is a rapist and torturer (not). If you weren't so ill-informed you'd be funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-47315001988752222062007-02-22T09:54:00.000+00:002007-02-22T09:54:00.000+00:00What else can I say? Denial isn't a river in Egypt...What else can I say? Denial isn't a river in Egypt?<BR/><BR/>It's your biggest problem, Americans and American sympathisers - a steadfast refusal to repent of your sins.<BR/><BR/>Does it not trouble you that Americans are raping, murdering and abusing Iraqis in the name of freedom?<BR/><BR/>Do you lose sleep because, not content with killing hundreds of thousands of its own, the tobacco industry has set its sights on the developing world?<BR/><BR/>Are you ashamed that you are the last developed English speaking country that still executes people?<BR/><BR/>Are you concerned that seven million illegal aliens are being alternately exploited or abused or bringing in drugs and diseases, or that half of the 16 year olds (LA Times) in California cannot read and write, sufficient to read a bus timetable or pass a driving test?<BR/><BR/>Do you worry that, since there are 120 million obese people in the USA, the War on Terror may be jeopardised because they cannot recruit healthy, thin, fit people as cannon fodder?<BR/><BR/>I'll stop now. I give the USA about 30 more years before it reaches sub-soviet conditions.<BR/><BR/>As Francis Urquahart said, "Nothing is forever"Wrinkled Weaselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05291551539649118631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-28208547972049703162007-02-22T08:23:00.000+00:002007-02-22T08:23:00.000+00:00"Whatever its faults, America is a beacon of freed..."Whatever its faults, America is a beacon of freedom and has saved democracy three in the last century - twice from German tyranny and once from the Soviet jackboot."<BR/><BR/>Iain - that's a schoolboy analysis. <BR/><BR/>a) America certainly did not 'save democracy' in 1918 (which is, I presume, one of your two 'German tyranny' moments.) Without seeking to denigrate their efforts, they arrived after the European nations had bled one-another to a virtual standstill. If a single cause were to be suggested, the Royal Naval blockade, and resultant conditions on the German home front, is a fair candidate - but in reality, there were a host of factors involved in Germany's defeat - and America was a relatively minor one.<BR/><BR/>b) World War 2: Ironically, the thing that really defeated Germany this time was the Red Army. Look at the numbers of Germans killed on the Eastern front if you don't believe this. America was undoubtedly the major factor in the final defeat of Germany in the West, but even this point has an unpleasant resonance with America's actions today: they ruthlessly and cynically bankrupted Britain as part of a calculated intent to finish imperialism: I think it was last year that we finally paid off our debts to them?<BR/><BR/>c). The Cold War: probably your least 'fith form' point - if this were all you'd mentioned, the point would have stood. Again, however, it's worth pointing out that while it was ok for the US to stick missiles in Turkey, as soon as the USSR tried an equivalent in Cuba, the Americans unilaterally took us all nearer to being nuked than ever before or since: another clear example of self-interest and inability (or refusal) to accept that others might have a valid point of view.<BR/><BR/>Please don't let your political leanings - which I share - allow you to make statements which simply give ammunition to your critics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-3485780955448302602007-02-22T06:51:00.000+00:002007-02-22T06:51:00.000+00:00Wrinkled Weasel and the rest of the rabid anti Ame...Wrinkled Weasel and the rest of the rabid anti Americans -<BR/>If it wasn't for the Americans you'd all be speaking German. And spare me how they came into the war late - at least they came in and saved your puny asses. Oh yes, and the Marshall Plan. Remeber that? Unfortunately it has irked people like you ever since. Grow up. No country is perfect and by all means make your views known but stop all the frothing at the mouth, rabid rhetoric. Not clever and not funny.<BR/><BR/>No doubt all the abuse will start to fly (ho-hum)by the inarticulate <BR/>fringe who just cannot enter into civilised debate not to mention the ones (you know who you are) who go ballistic when it is a woman who expresses strong opinions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-49477334084893125882007-02-22T01:01:00.000+00:002007-02-22T01:01:00.000+00:00wrinkled weasel - "America is a nation in crisis a...wrinkled weasel - "America is a nation in crisis and decay. It does not know who or what it is and it has an inferiority complex."<BR/><BR/>Don't you wish!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-48661702765288436172007-02-22T00:53:00.000+00:002007-02-22T00:53:00.000+00:00WrinkledWeasel, 'crisis and decay' is n't right. S...WrinkledWeasel, 'crisis and decay' is n't right. Sure, you could apply it to parts of the rustbelt (particularly parts of Michigan) but overall, the US is vibrant and adapting, despite the whinings of the isolationist crowd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-7825813852997968722007-02-21T23:47:00.000+00:002007-02-21T23:47:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-22291005300189946912007-02-21T23:22:00.000+00:002007-02-21T23:22:00.000+00:00re: update, no it doesn't. Just because we "don't ...re: update, no it doesn't. Just because we "don't get it" does not mean that toe-curling propaganda is going to change my mind.<BR/><BR/>I think we are going to have to disagree.<BR/><BR/>America is a nation in crisis and decay. It does not know who or what it is and it has an inferiority complex. It uses all the right words, but not necessarily in the right order. For the USA, "democracy" and "freedom" is relative. In American, it means "people who agree with us" and "freedom to do it our way"<BR/><BR/>We laugh at moribund and super-corrupt Russia, but in terms of conquest and control, as a superpower it has gone determinedly backwards for the last 25 years. Democracy, warts and all, is thriving in former Eastern European countries. It is not easy, but it is a freedom that would have been unthinkable 40 years ago - and it is genuine. Russia doesn't like it, but they are not invading countries in order to "set them free"<BR/><BR/>America is anti-democratic because it tries to influence bad regimes by providing arms to rebels, and then invades countries when those rebels get all independent and difficult.<BR/><BR/>If any of you can put yourself in the mindset of Iran at this time..they have seen what the Americans have done to a neighbouring country and they want to defend themselves. Why is that bad, or surprising, and why does America have a divine right to interfere? Why?<BR/><BR/>More to the point, what is the United Kingdom doing in being a party to an Imperialist Superpower?Wrinkled Weaselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05291551539649118631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-82761427441104783222007-02-21T22:22:00.000+00:002007-02-21T22:22:00.000+00:00It wasn't Mr Bush who took Britain into Iraq. It ...It wasn't Mr Bush who took Britain into Iraq. It was Tony Blair, and Blair took us in on a lie and a part of a Californian PhD thesis Alastair Campbell downloaded off the internet.<BR/><BR/>But did not lie to Americans. Blair lied to the British. He wanted to be "a war leader".<BR/><BR/>"The US has so much to offer the world, but it would benefit from a little less cowboy 'bomb 'em back to the stone age'" It would be so nice to read a thread in which the US features and not to see a mention of the word "cowboy". <BR/><BR/>Anonymous 8:44 - Most people on this thread come across as spiteful, jealous America-haters.<BR/><BR/>That we are in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with the level of terrorism being experienced round the world - much of it in countries that are not part of the Coalition of The Willing. This current round of jihad has been going on for 30 years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-23657649470483868402007-02-21T22:10:00.000+00:002007-02-21T22:10:00.000+00:00Truly embarrassing. Why do people who call themse...Truly embarrassing. Why do people who call themselves patriots insist on crawling up America's asshole at every opportunity?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com