[dd74]

I agree, Blue: it's beyond me how that man won the Nobel. "Lie" is so in his face about being outside the circle of his own state-sponsored terrorism that really he should be getting the Hasty Pudding award. Or a pie in the face!

As for Tabs, if WMD and oil is a veil for what U.S. troops are in Iraq/Iran for, then the long-term goals of the occupation are elongated by at least a decade or two. And in this, I envision Burger Kings everywhere, etc. For the short term, all that can be taken from the country is oil. Hence "security" is a long-term, hopefully "high-yield" investment, don't you think? So if what you're saying is true, Pax Americana is definitely where we're headed.

Saudis - they'll jump through hoops for us, particularly because they don't want the Bush Administration to disclose language that they sponsored the hit on the World Trade Centers. The U.S. would be calling for their heads on a stick if that happens. Bush, et al, is the only thing keeping Saudi Arabia from becoming glass.

N. Korea - the perfect "bomb" for those guys is to drop copies of James Dickey's "To The White Sea," on their heads. About the a WWII-era "Terminator" soldier from Alaska who gets shot down during the Tokyo firebombings - I'd be scared ****less to meet an American soldier like that if I was a North Korean.

They could always be nuked. I think the ROW would side with us on that...