I was wrong to use the word 'insinuate' in my last post (I was trying to use another word for 'imply', which I had already used). Probably even 'imply' was too harsh to use in place of insinuate.

However, I stongly feel that when you stated that reasons for our being in the Middle East probably include 'protection of Israel', it was easy to come to the conclusion that the short list from which I quoted from was your personal list. I certainly understand that those in 'neoland' consider the USA's prime reason for existence to be this protection. It was disturbing to me when I presumed from the excerpted quote that you yourself thought 'protection of Israel' was a valid reason we should be smack dab in metaphorical Big Muddy. Thus, my screed which followed.

Can we agree that Israel needs no U.S. military protection from any Arab or Persian country?

Quote from Wes (directed at my prev post, I believe): '(If) you mean Israel does not need our financial aid or military equipment or technology, you may be off base.'

Yes, Wes that is exactly what I mean. If Israel were to unleash their military ala 1967 or 1973 against the surrounding Arab regimes, they'd squash them like bugs (IMO). That's what makes this Iraq fiasco so maddening (one reason among forty or fifty), we were diverted over there to help the Likudnicks fix it so no Arab regime could ever hope to militarily defeat Israel (and they don't need our help at all when it comes to whuppin ass on Arabs).

Paul Rosenberg commented: 'I would command that every day, every Democrat in the House and Senate would ask why we have not captured or killed bin Laden yet. It should be the Democrats only message. The fact that Democrats almost never even mention it in passing is the most glaring of all the numerous indications of their political incompetence.'

Excellent idea, Mr. Rosenberg! Why they have not used this is beyond me. Best part of strategy is it keeps them on defensive, trying to explain the unexplainable. Also, it might even shame them into actually catching the murdering SOB.

If Senator Clinton is our nominee in 2008, I will vote & campaign for her. I think it was quite obvious in 2002 - 2003 that the Bush Administration was bound & determined to militarily attack Iraq. It was classic Bush II, the facts may change, but the objective never does (look at the 82 reasons he gave for his pathetic tax cuts, as one was shot down, 2 more stupid reasons would be put up, etc. etc.).

IMO, Sen. Clinton feels she would have to admit she was making crass political calculations when she voted to give Bush/Cheney their congressional figleaf. I hope she can be made to understand that a potentially embarrasing moment of candor (addmiting the gross error in giving the boobs their cover) can overcome a perception that semantic wordgames are her true passion.

Motherwell bleats in response to the Lasorda expose: 'And this is worth reporting...why?'

It's worth reporting because Mr. Lasorda is a sanctimonious, POS, Dodger asshole who is always bloviating incessently about what a fine upstanding moral person he & every Dodger who ever played is.

Barnaby opined: 'His pay checks come from Halliburton. Unfortunately for all of us, they also own his soul.'

Oh, I think someone else owns his soul...

Thinkmorecritically blathered on up above about Islam not having any long history of suicide attacks & that 'Iraq in its long history had never had such attacks' (a paraphrasing there), etc. etc.

While he/she is correct that the Tigers of Tamil Eelam are avid modern day users of suicide attacks, he/she seems to have missed out on the thinking more critcally part of Middle East history. 13th century Persia (then part of the Islamic Caliphate, capital Baghdad) was the home of Ali Hassan & his hashish assasins (that's where the name 'assasin' comes from, BTW). They terrorised rich & influential Muslims for several decades (they would brainwash a young Muslim with hashish fueled visions of his 'afterlife' & send him off to murder the target in a public place. The assasin would be killed invariably in the attack, but to the target this was probably small solace). Many of those attacks happened in what is now Iraq. His mountaintop fortresses survived all attacks until the Mongol armies finally put a stop to him while on their way to sack Baghdad in the mid 13th century.

Thus, you find out there is a long history of suicide attacks in Islam (at least 800 years worth), specifically the part of the Moslem world we have so thoughtlessly interjected ourselves into.

Gotta agree with Gttim above, having her dance to some Beatles tunes would be great (must also be ones Paul wrote).