[dogscoff]

I don't doubt that for a second--but what it tells me is that much of the opposition to this war is partisan.

No, not really. Remember that the vast majority of the opposition is from *outside* the US, and so couldn't give a toss about US internal politics and partisanship. (except where it effects foreign policy.)

It is actually opposition to Bush as an individual and the republicans. Where were these people when Clinton was bombing Iraq?

Well, that's a good point I suppose. There certainly has been consisitent opposition, but nothing on the scale we see now. I don't think that makes the current protesters hypocritical though. For one thing, the bombing and sanctions against Iraq until this latest episode have not been specifically US, but more of an international thing (or at least perceived as such). Furthermore, it's not the same as actually invading a country for such cynical motivations.

I know there were some who have consistently opposed military action by any president, but the vast numbers of democrats who supported Clinton's military campaigns but oppose Bush's is simply astounding.

Like I say, as someone who has never even been to the US I am neither a democrat nor a republican. To be honest I find it very hard to actually tell the difference from over here. America just keeps on being America no matter who has the keys to the whitehouse.

So opposition to Bush for the sake of his party is nonsense. Opposition to the individual though, is entirely true and entirely valid and justified: He has the world's only superpower at his command and he doesn't care what or who he f**ks up in order to make money.

Sure, the world is full of politicians like that, but it's not often you see one taking it to these extremes. I'm not sure what he's got that lets him get away with it (although I think his manipulation of 9/11 has a lot to do with that) but there are plenty of people in this world who see him as a monster that has to be stopped. We've already seen the parallels drawn between Bush and 1930s Hitler. I really hope they turn out to be nothing more than a coincidence.

Here's something to think about: I wonder if this was inevitable after the fall of the Soviet Union- does anyone think that without a balancing force to keep it in check, the US was bound to go on the rampage like this?

[ April 16, 2003, 16:13: Message edited by: dogscoff ]