[Sleeper]

I am sorry, but I disagree. To present half a story or to ignore facts is either someone deliberately purveying something as false or that person is uneducated and/or uniformed. I have no reason to believe OZ was pushing an agenda, so I assume he was uninformed. To be ignorant is not a crime, to be stupid should be.

I never mentioned religion in my post, because, while a contributing factor, it is not a definitive reason. There are many Muslims in the US and many Muslim countries we count as allies, pricipally Turkey and Saudi Arabia. I also didn't mention the Taliban as either an ally of Iraq or a terrorist organization. They were a government that used tribal and strict Islamic law to rule their country. They did, however, harbor the organization responsible for 9/11. Therefore, they were destroyed after having ample opportunity to turn over the perpetrators. The hijackers were from Saudi, but were not acting or a part of the governing body there. Foreign policy by nature is both consistent and inconsistent at the same time, consistent because our national interest are always the driving force and inconsistent because we deal with the same situations different ways because of that.

I responded to some specific assertions leveled by the poster (line by line). Please do not attribute thoughts that were not there. The poster was incorrect on a number of items, of which all can be verified. He tried to take very complex situations out of context and provide broad general conclusions. This is intellectually and academically dishonest. In addition, please don't attribute statements or thoughts to me that I didn't use. I appreciate diverse thoughts and don't mind someone who disagrees. What I don't care for is emotion and sarcasm that people try to pass for coherent thought. Believe what you want, but back it up with a rational arguement.

Finally, I am entitled to my opinion and its defense. I love my country, warts and all, and take great displeasure to its mischaracterization by persons who fail to educate themselves as to its history. That irritation is magnified when those persons originate from within our borders, especially those who whine and complain without making suggestions for improvement. Our country, as of this moment, is the global policeman. Not because we wanted the role, but because we carry the biggest stick on the block and are the only ones who can make a difference.