Big_Bolo: How intelligent do you want? I will work on it. Until then I would also question where you elicited your intel from on how America fights wars? I am real curious on that. Also the generalizations of Americans is frankly insulting and offensive. There are just a 'few' of us working in this 'pig' of a country to change the system; however, yours and other OUS people who keep hammering us with generalizations and insults does not help anything. If you want our country to change overall, then provide some possible solutions, otherwise get off the soapbox. Lastly, and this is from experience, you would be amazed to know the real effectiveness of our military. Yes - some of the incidents you mentioned in a past post are true and embarassing, but there are many others, that don't even hit the news that were successful. Don't worry though, the US will go down some year and then you can all rejoice.

Also to start to answer Big_Bolo's request on what should we do here. I will tell you.

1. Track down and liquidate Bin Laden, preferrably on all public media. Why, because we need to show the other terrorists what will happen when we catch them. The trial is the time takes for the liquidation to begin and their life ebbs away.
2. Track down and liquidate any terrorist group and their members publicly on all media. See number 1. for details.
3. Work with international community to resolve NKorea crisis.
4. US/UK/AUS and all other 'pro-war' countries pull out of the Gulf and let GE/FR/BE start handling to see if we can avert war; and either slap Saddam in line to comply to already broken resolutions or liquidate him publicly and have a new power established that will comply to the UN resolutions.
5. US to suck it up and actually with with UN council members and NATO on rest of resolutions; here admittedly, is where I need to research more.
6. On the issue of greed/arrogance - which seems to be a lot of reason for other countries to dislike the US. That, I am at a loss for at this time, I think we would need to start with all countries polticians.

Quick question for you all: Who of you have served in your respective armed forces? I ask because there seems to be a lot of opinion about the military and I wanted to know where those opinions come from. If you don't feel like answering, that's ok, I am just curious and not trying to start yet another battle.

Any thoughts on my UN post? Can we actually do anything to change it, or are we just going to sit around and b1tch about it?

Thanks all.