Mirko, you can do much better...And DandaMna is right. The invasion of Iraq was very little (if anything) about helping Iraqi people. It was much more about about getting cheap petrol / energy supplies. Every kookaburra in Australia has already learnt it...

The saddest aspect of this article is its support of the cult of absolutism: you're either with us or against us.

The language that goes along with this - and it is prevalent in any debate these days, whether about abortion, euthanasia, population control, climate change, oil reserves, media laws or whatever - actively works against discussion. Instead its two faces are either black or white; any attempt to explore third ways, middle ground, or even elicit facts over opinions, is doomed.

Criticism is a legitimate tool of friendship; it does not necessarily connote enmity. In fact, it is often the most positive and kindly act that can be performed, to explain quietly to a friend the impact of certain of their acts or behaviours that are out of line.

To deduce that we are anti-American from the evidence presented is akin to believing everything you read in the newspaper. It is also to conflate the people with their political leadership; in every developed country, the personal and political have been diverging for many years, and continue to do so. To blame the American people for the acts of Donald Rumsfeld is as stupid as believing that every Australian acts and speaks like Alexander Downer.

There is also a subtext that the writer carefully avoids. America's influence has always been predominantly economic, and economic power will shift quite quickly over the next thirty years or so. How will the US react to having to relinquish their absolute economic authority? And will we support them if and when they react aggressively?

Look the average person in the US is generally a decent person decent morals, whatnot, but the administration is decadent and misleading. Bit like many other nations out there. It's not as if Howard's nose is clean either is it, although many Australians (98%) are viewed as good decent people and the other 2 are pricks. I think there is hope however, Bush has lost control of the Senate, and Rudd might even win this next election.

This is the same Mirko, who not long ago was detailing scenarios to justify the use of torture in the Herald Sun.

Social discourse and policy is different to Mathematics and the Sciences because in the later you can prove something either right or wrong. In Social discourse we are forced to deal with uncertainty.

Nevertheless, thousands of years of civilisation, culture and history have given us some universals. One of those universals concerns torture. This makes you something quite despicable. And in light of your legal training - something even worse.

Remember, you were part of the hysteria which helped Howard win public acceptance to begin this crusade with the coalition of the willing. And there you are now again spruiking the US.

"the rending pain of re-enactment. Of all that you have done, and been; the shame of motives late revealed, and the awareness of things ill done and done to others' harm, Which once you took for exercise of virtue. Then fools' approval stings, and honour stains. From wrong to wrong the exasperated spirit proceeds, unless...... "

ts elliot - just a little birko

Half of the American voters elected Bush into his second term of presidency while the Iraq war was ongoing. They are at least jointly responsible for the events in Iraq and all their consequences. Imagine that after WW II the German people was held accountable for all the cruelties occurred during the war and even for the war itself though Hitler wasn´t even elected by the Germans.

What you call the American dream and the belief that everything is possible is closely connected to the attitude of many Americans that they are doing right whenever they are fighting for what they consider freedom and democracy, regardless of the victims. It is the primitive right of the strongest, and consequently they don´t feel themselves subjected to the Court of international law unlike all the other civilized nations. No wonder that there is a growing anti-Americanism in the world.

On the other hand I do not know personally any American among my many US-friends and acquaintances who support the Iraq war and wouldn´t be conscious of the American shortcomings. Of course you never can accuse an entire nation for the mistakes and faults committed in their name, and of course every nation has positive points serving also as an example for others. This is a matter of course about the Americans as well as about the Italians, the Germans or the Chinese. But does that really improve the ongoing matter?

I found this article silly, a rehash of cliches about a US that maybe once was, but isn't now. What draws people to the US is its success at using militarism to supply its ever greater consumption of natural capital, with US$ hegemony and 'free trade' neoliberalism the single song sheet all suitably supine governments sing from. Check out USs rising incidence of malnutrition and turburculosis, 1-in-35 adults in the prisons or corrections system, or the rate the water table is falling in San Fernando valley for better info.

Enrico is dead right about electors responsibility for their governments actions, even more so when the democratic process is plainly broken. If the populace then tries nonviolent action and receives gunfire and repeated assault (as currently happening in Oaxacao (sp) Mexico), only then might they disclaim responsibility.

Australians who just 'hate America' (unRightThink translation: oppose US administration actions) are evading their own responsibilty, as our own government has stoked racism, ignored mass demo's, sent troops, and weekly expresses support and bluffes optimism. And we let them get away with it, diverting ourselves with criticism of US or sneers at the political class.

Unfortunately the Coalition of the Willing (-to do neoliberalisms dirty work) is losing in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been decisively outwitted by China, S.America and Europe over access to energy reserves. If we don't want a sickening situation (600,000+ dead in Iraq) to turn catastrophic (ME war, oil blockades, more anti-West terrorism, ...) then we have to stop being Good Germans and MAKE our government accountable for these criminal wars, for lying to parliament and the people, and for aiding terrorism by letting AWB be Saddam's #1 sugar daddy.