God bless America

At least the British inquiry will report BEFORE the next General Election, unlike Dubya's version which conveniently reports after the Presidential election. However, you're basically right. I cynically believed that the Iraqi Weapons Survey Group would dutifully report whatever Bush wanted them to report. I hold up my hands on this one. I was wrong.

I'm watching the Meet the Press interview of Dubya right now, and Dubya said 'we got it wrong' in terms of stockpiles of WMD. Man, I've never seen that guy squirm so much. He looks scared. As for the US commission, you can be assured that there will be leaks all along the way.

Blair's finding it hard to keep up at the moment. One minute he was saying we didn't need an inquiry into the reasons we went to war, then Bush announced an inquiry over there and Blair followed suit pronto. As the saying goes, by copying others the monkey cut his own throat, The American intelligence bunch then peep out of the woodwork to get their defence in first, with CIA blokey Tenet standing up and saying there was no imminent threat. Eh? Which left Blair and co having to bodge together their opportunistic new line that the 45-minute claim was not an important part of the decision to go to war (no, Tone, that's why you repeated it FOUR times in the intro to the dossier on weapons of mass destruction). Then the Jones blokey pipes up on behalf of our military, before the Butler gets a chance to hit their fan, and says Kelly was right: the dossier did *sex* up the info. You what? hasn't he read the Hutton Report? Even that poor old muggins Hans Blix has joined in now, saying that Blair acted like a salesman in exaggerating the importance of his wares. "From politicians, from our leaders in the West, I think we expect more than that. A bit more sincerity." Has he not read the fcuking Hutton Report, for goodness sake? I've always supported Blair, and I still like him. I don't even think he's lying - just befuddled by his own spin. But I don't see how we can let him stay in charge of the country any longer. I wish he would go now, honourably, rather than waiting for the Americans to hang him out to dry. d.beswetherick.

I'm beginning to worry about you Dotty.

March. Watch it happen.

God bless America? Honesty? Are you having a laugh?! Lol!

I watched the entire interview with Dubya. All I can say is the he was very much on the defensive on all fronts, including the war and the economy. He only requested this hour-long interview because he is worried about Kerry et al and wanted to do some damage control, but in my view at least, that really backfired. It was a terrible performance, stumbling and bumbling and totally lacking in confidence. It reminded me of some of Nixon's interviews when he was in big trouble. I can't imagine anyone watching that and coming away convinced.

Yeah i quite agree with what your saying even the President is being open about not finding the weapons and lets face it how easy would it have been for them to plant that stuff, but of course lets never forget the needless waste of life.

Yeah... Lets not forget how many lives have been saved... and more importantly how many less millions lives blighted now and in the future by the surgical removal of a cancerous cruel and despotic regime. Thanks to the heroes, who sacrificed their lives for this and courageous leaders who for once acted in the way they believed was right, despite the political expediency of the time. Whereas here, we can now (rightly) have the luxury of debating minutae like how the 45 minute entry in the dossier may or may have not changed the course of history.

Ah but one leg spider this is all here say.

You're right 1leg, they were heroes and their lives were worth far more than this disastrous outcome. Our soldiers cannot be the world's police. They should only be used to defend this country against direct threats to our national interest. Otherwise we will end up squandering the lives of thousands of our soldiers trying to overthrow every tinpot dictator in the world.

The Americans have a written constitution which makes a huge amount of difference. Their freedom of information principles are far more highly developed than ours - and the country is far better for it. There are many factors about the USA that I admire, although I am also a great critic of certain tenets of their methods of government, but in this respect I believe they will get far closer to the truth.

The good news, or silver lining, is that it will be a LONG freaking time before anyone pulls a repeat stunt. Of course, that has its dangers as well, as a truly imminent threat my be bypassed for fear of being criticized for jumping the cannon. Well, that's just how these things go. I'll give you an example. In the 70s, the CIA was critcized in a lengthy series of Congressional hearings for spying on US citizens and residents in the US, which was outside its mandate and thus the province of the FBI, provided they had a reason. In short, there were some instances of the CIA and the FBI collaborating on some internal serveillance of dubious value. In fact, Hillary Clinton was a staffer to one of the investigating committees. As with such things, there was an over-reaction and it became outright illegal for the CIA and FBI to share information. Well, that was one of the main reasons the 9/11 guys were able to carry off their frankly very crude, low-tech project. No one would share information for fear of its being a career ender. Now they do share info but only at the very top level. Of course, now the pendulum has swung way the other way with Ashcroft determined to out-suck Hoover, so to say, by using somewhat justified laws to harrass anyone who looks cross-eyed at the wrong moment. I found it interesting that one of Kerry's key campaigning points is 'we want a nation in which John Ashcroft is no longer the Attorney General.' Things have to be very exteme for a candidate to point to Cabinet officials as a reason for ousting the incumbent. Having grown up in a culture where there is every incentive, and legal right, to blast the truth, or your version of it, all over every front page and news broadcast in the country, I just expect these things. The Watergate affair resulted in an explosion in the number of 'investigative journalists' graduating each year, the primarly beneficiary of which, sadly, has been the gutter press, such as the much and legitimately maligned Pox News of Rupert Murdock. Oh well; there it is.

I think we should build a world peacekeeping force and go in and rifle out all dictator regimes. The innocent people of the world have to be protected from these tyrants, they have to have fair chance at life. We have to unite and build on unity.

Have you been reading my old posts Stephen?

Somewhat along this thread, here's the body of an email I just received: An atheist professor was teaching a college class and he told the class that he was going to prove that there is no God. He said, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!" Ten minutes went by. He kept taunting God, saying,"Here I am, God. I'm still waiting." He got down to the last couple of minutes and a Marine just released from active duty and newly registered in the class walked up to the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent him flying from his platform. The professor struggled up, obviously shaken and yelled, "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?" The Marine replied, "God was busy; He sent me." Semper Fi, and God Bless America ********** Clever? Sure. Smarmishly patriotic? You bet. Spooky as hell? Most definitely (in so many ways).

The Sergeant in 'Full Metal Jacket,' he was really mean and angry.....he made his Platoon sing happy birthday Jesus on Christmas day.

The a mirror image of a Sunday school story: A man is trapped on the roof of his house in a raging flood. He prays to God to save him. While he is praying, a helicopter arrives and throws him a line. He rejects it because he is still praying. Then a boat arrives. Same thing. Boat leaves. The man dies. He arrives in heaven and asks God why He didn't save him. God says: Hey, I sent you the helicopter and the boat; you just weren't paying attention. Still, you're right...the Marine story is a bit spooky.

I don't know...the Sunday school story makes perfect sense to me, whereas the marine story: 1. Implies our armed forces are acting under God's direction; 2. Brings out the old chestnut that college professors -- and, by inference, the educated among us -- are "godless humanists"; 3. Indicates it's okay for a thuggish jarhead to speak for God ("God was busy..."); 4. Acts as a warning to non-believers: Believe, or else you'll find yourself flat on your back with a bloody nose. Lordy, I'm in a serious mood. Make it stop!

not to mention that if God had the time to instruct the marine then he had time to do it Himself, and besides which, how can a being that is everywhere at once be busy?

Well, maybe I should have said it was a 'cracked mirror image.' The Marine story could be taken several ways. One is that God actually sent him. That's obviously the intent of the story given the way it was written. The other is that the Marine just took it upon himself to claim that God sent him as a justification for smacking the prof. believing that he is God's representative on earth. Sadly, I seem to know a lot of people who think that way ( they would deny it of course), though none of them are Marines. As for why didn't God show up himself, that's easy: it's a common proposition that 'God speaks through other people.' Hence, the drowning story.

mississippi, dont know what your talking about: of course this is the only progressive way forward even a (Mr bush) a fool must be able to work that one out. What would i want tyo read your posts for, do you think ive not got anything better to do with my time.

it's a commn proposition for people who like to believe that nonsense and are, as ever, searching for a way to explain something so it looks like the existence of something that plainly doesn't exist.

It is fair to say that God does exist for everyone.... he hovers just outside of that box that comprises all the world you know. Of course, the bigger your box, the less you need him to get by everyday, but ask the right questions and you will find him there at the edge of your knowledge... just out of reach... but there.

Well diagnosed 1 leg, very well done indeed.