What sort of moron wants better relations with people whose only leisure activity is asking god to kill us?

We want worse relations, much worse.

Anyhow, it'll pass. They haven't forgiven us yet for removing the curse of guinea worm, either.

Almost all of our previous presidents would have done this. This is what America has always been noted for. This sort of deed is what has made America loved around the world.

Although I like nothing else that Bush has done, I must give him credit for this. Not only is he helping people who truly need our help, he is making friends and thus reducing the number of potential terrorists in the world.

Why could Bush not do more of this type of cooperative action? Instead he spends his time beating the war drums, something that increases hostility towards U.S. and produces more terrorists.

Paul --

Let me see if I understand this. Helping others is what America has always done. Terrorists had been perpetrating acts against America all through that time, culminating with the barbarity of 9/11. What did all the kindness buy us? We finally had a President that decides to fight them not placate them. Since 9/11 we have seen terrorists on their heels all over the world. I say, use the carrot but stick with the stick.

Harry:

You just hate them because they have a religious faith. They'll once again be vital allies of ours within a couple decades and the recent unpleasantness will be forgotten.

Mr. Sinclair:

One hears this argument from Bush critics, but can make no sense of it. He's used a wide variety of means in the war on terror and the effort to reform Islam. He can't be spending that much time on his war drums if he's gotten action in Palestine, Libya, and Iran without attacking them.

The Iranians may indeed be US allies in a couple decades, but I'm not sure how vital they'll be, as hopefully the US will have a much lower need for oil by then, and surely we'll have contained all but the lowest, simplest forms of terror.

Michael:

The oil doesn't matter much. More important is that Shi'a is a more likely basis for successful democracy than Sunni--and the two Shi'a nations will be vital examples in the region.

I don't hate them, but I despise them.

The fact that they are religious is a matter of indifference. Everybody is, so what?

I do take them seriously, though, which is more than you do.

Ha, just another example of Bush acting unilaterally, and without the permission of the UN.
Or France.

Harry:

To the contrary, I take their theology seriously and believe their society more fertile soil for Democracy than Europe's at this point.

We'll have to see about that.

To my mind, any society that wastes over a thousand holy days in a row demanding god to kill, specifically, me is a very sick place. Who needs it?

Harry:

We need it--with Europe post-Christian and Judaism on the path to oblivion, the Shi'astans and the Christianizing Third World are our future partners.

I happened to have an interview with a young Iranian-American lawyer this afternoon. He agrees with me that there isn't going to be any counterrevolution until the bazaars turn against the mullahs, which they show no sign of doing so far; but he disagrees with me about leaving Iran alone. He's quite hopeful that the quake reaction will lead to "better relations."

He is also hopeful of exploiting some contacts to start introducing American versions of his specialty (intellectual property law) into Iranian colleges shortly.

oj:

Rather, the oil is the pivot on which the entire Middle East turns.

Were there no oil, why would the West be interested in that benighted corner of the world, except in missionary terms ?

With no oil, where would the money come from for national WMD programmes ?
Who would pay for terrorist training and organization infrastructure ?

And finally, since, at least in the Middle East, there are few alternatives to replace oil revenue with, once carbon-based forms of energy begin to be replaced, there will be even more unemployed, poverty-stricken, and angry young men available for recruitment by those with malevolent intent.

Thus, I hope that you are correct, so that we can simply allow their excess population to immigrate to the US when that time comes.

Michael:

Then why are Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have no oil, a mess?

100,000 or more people get together week after week to chant "death to Harry." Meanwhile, over here, since 1979 how many times have Americans gathered in 100,000-blocs for anything except the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?

They are a sick, sick people and we should have nothing to do with them.

Harry:

Setting aside your lunatic egocentrism, we'll just note that hundred of thousands gathered early last year to try and keep in power a Sunni oppressor of the Shi'a of Iraq, a role America has been only to happy to play in the past. There's plenty of blame to go around on both sides, more on ours.