Finally something i can agree with....its tiring !

But i cant afford to zzzzzzzz as you do,its luxry for us,as long as you ´US´ still here in the area,one must watch for his back

If you don´t know of any right reason to invade Iraq, what are you defending?  Of course we are given the same information as you...that there were "weapons of mass distruction" of which they had no evidence, and which has since been proved completely false.  I don´t see your point.  With regard to Blair, he felt "obliged" to join the US invasion, despite very strong opposition from his own cabinet, government and the public...and now realises it was his downfall.

Strange - these are the same people who voted Bush back into power with a majority at the previous election to this

Actually OUR opinion does matter - it is what democracy is all about or should I say SUPPOSED TO BE about.

 I´m watching you Canli....

 That line has been used over and over again...somewhat tiring actually. zzzzzzz

Who says I was defending anything? I was agreeing in my post with the perception that people have a tendency to only look at one side of a debate while ignoring or failing to accept as valid arguments that speak for the other side. And the point I was making is the our perceptions are never the whole truth because we don´t have access to the whole truth and because what we know is manipulated by our governments and the media. We´re all wise when we look back at history and events, but we don´t have that luxury when we´re involved in them. As an example, I voted for Bush in 2000 - one of the things I regret, however at that time I had no idea that war was to come. I also had no idea that Al Qaeda exists. Call it ignorance or being naive, I don´t care. But my decision to vote for Bush was obviously not based on being fully informed and definitely I wasn´t (and I am still not) politically saavy enough to have been able to predict the possibility of a war. I voted against Bush the second time around, and lost. I´m not afraid to admit that there are things I don´t know or don´t understand and that I was wrong in some of my decision making. And I resent when people assume to have the monopoly on truth (only trouble comes out of that).

As far as democracy. Maybe I´m cynical, but to me it´s an illusion that people on the top feed us, the peanuts. The power is in the hands of "haves" - we´re "have-nots" - and as long as we buy into what they tell us, they´re happy. Maybe it´s de jure democracy, de facto plutocracy or oligarchy - one of those fancy words. As you could see in your own country - Blair decided to join the Coalition AGAINST the popular opinion. So forgive me if I keep thinking that the opinions of individual citizens are not all that important to those on top.

 You generalize TheAenigma.  That´s Theproblem! Generalization! Bush started the war after he was elected.  I cannot explain why the American people elected him AGAIN, but he started the war in Iraq after he was elected.  He started it right after 9/11.  You better believe the American people thought something should be done.  Americans are not just going to sit on their ass and do nothing, and I don´t blame them. So he didn´t exactly do the right thing, but troops were sent to Afganistan too, and don´t tell me Afganistan didn´t ask for it.

So the power of the US is on a downward slide. Fine. Then somebody else better pick up the slack, and we all know who it won´t be and who it will be.  The UK is 2nd in command, and if America isn´t the most powerful country in the world, Britian will be.  There is a reason for that. Democracy, freedom of speech, a secular government, freedom of speech, and democracy. Oh, and did I mention freedom of speech and secular government? No many countries have both, even if they claim they do.

Teaschip, thanks for the support.  It is nice to chat with someone else who can finally see both sides.

 The fact of the matter is the groundwork for the invasion of Iraq was laid down in the Project for a New American Century in the mid 90´s...Take a look at the signatures ....Rumsfield, Cheney and many of the most influential members of the Bush administration.

As to the American people electing him again. He was NEVER elected.   There is ample evidence of massive fraud and voter supression of the 2004 vote. Kenneth Blackwell promised to deliver the vote, and it certainly appears he did. Add to that various electronic vote methods....and the 2004 election hardly looks to be without suspicion.

Free speech zones? Wasn´t the whole country supposed to be a free speech zone?

Need I say anything about your comment, "So the power of the US is on a downward slide. Fine. Then somebody else better pick up the slack,....." ??? Just what is your point? When was it acceptable to be a policeman to the world of soverign countries? Don´t you understand what soverign means?

As for secular government...there has been massive effort to undermine that with the Republicans as of late. Why on earth was Obama forced to claim he´s a Christian? How about all of Bush´s "Faith Based" funding? Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell got massive amounts of money from it....secular? 

Great post Alameda

Yes I was going to comment about the election and the boasts of "democracy" myself, but you did it sooo much better

 Thank you my dear...we agree on the more important issues. BTW there were at least 400,000 at the demonstrations in San Francisco...I know, I was there.

BTW I edited my earlier post to add:

" Just what is your point? When was it acceptable to be a policeman to the world of soverign

countries? Don´t you understand what soverign means? We have more than enough issues at home to deal with."

People fail to forget that U.S. troops found thousands of boxes of powder and manuals in Baghdad which is used to make chemical warfare.  Although they found no weapons of mass destruction...they found substances (yellow cake) needed to make these.  Hmm, wonder what Saddam was going to do with these?  I guess we should have sat back and just waited to see. 

Thank you my dear...we agree on the more important issues. BTW there were at least 400,000 at the demonstrations in San Francisco...I know, I was there.