I honestly don't know. The Mission has morphed so many times, first the WMD, then finding Saddam, then a stable government leading to... what? What is the mission has to be the first question. In my opinion the mission has always been the same, get the oil, establish regional-cum-global hegemony, and protect and support Israel.

I think that no matter who wins in November, America will stay in Iraq. You really have no choice now. If America withdraws, Iraq and Iran will coalesce into a Shia super-state which will be immensely hostile to America - and for excellent, logical, reasons. Of course this new coalition will control a large percentage of the worlds' oil, and will probably sell it all to China. Will this new bloc be a big sponsor of "terrorism", yes to the extent that America attacks and opposes them, and of course America will attack and oppose them, just as you have done to Cuba for nearly half a century now.

If my scenario unfolds as predicted, the American economy will collapse and you will lose your much loved cat bird seat, first economically, then militarily. The people, deprived of cheap gas and food will revolt, and internecine conflict is almost a given. A withdrawal from Iraq could be the end of America.

I was shocked to see that any percentage of Americans still "support" this war, I don't care if it "only" 20% - this is still quite mad. When I read that 36% still "support" the war, I can only conclude that America is incapable of learning and suffers from a deeply ingrained bellicosity, arrogance and overweening greed - to the point of insanity.

There are things that could be done in terms of a managed withdrawal, but it would take a William Blum to get them done and that ain't going to happen. Barack Jesus Obama is no William Blum...

"If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize -- very publicly and very sincerely -- to all the widows and the orphans, the impoverished and the tortured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. I would then announce that America's global interventions -- including the awful bombings -- have come to an end. And I would inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the union but – oddly enough – a foreign country. I would then reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims and repair the damage from the many American bombings and invasions. There would be more than enough money. Do you know what one year of the US military budget is equal to? One year. It's equal to more than $20,000 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated.

William Blum, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower.

Forget Iraq. That's an old story, the world's largest embassy (bigger than the Vatican) is almost complete, the permanent bases are, well, permanent, and the oil is flowing. Fallon is out of the way, and 4000 American dead, is, after all, a small price to pay for empire. And 1.2 million dead Iraqis? Well, that is "just a statistic".

"Real men go to Tehran", a senior Bush official, 2003.

And McCain is a "real man". Is Hilary?

Is FISA about terrorism? No. To the extent that there is an Al Qaida I cannot imagine that "those who would harm America" actually discussing their plans on a phone of any sort, or via email. No one is that stupid.

So what is it for? Who is the real target?

I must say I am really surprised to see the Democrats standing up. It may be that they can finally bring themselves to believe that someday soon, Bush will be gone. I know that I have trouble believing it.

311 days, 1 hour and 52 minutes to go...

"Why do 9/11 deniers see an alternative story in pictures of the attacks? Because we all interpret images according to our biases."

Of course Farhad, you do know that your theory applies to you as well.

I see lies. I see the evil that men do. I don't see Bin Laden anywhere in those pictures.

There is more to 9/11 Truth than photos.