Do we really know why the US invaded Iraq? We know there were no WMDs. We know the US isn't really concerned about Saddam's human rights record given that they allowed him to stay after Kuwait and have ignored worse contraventions of human rights. So what was the reason? Was it to control the flow of oil or was it in the interests of big business who profit by war? Maybe one day when all the documents are released we will know.

I cannot see how this war is protecting us from lunatics when the war itself has made the West more of a target. Leading defence personnel and even Mick Keelty have made such observations only to be castigated by our former Prime Minister.

Yes, I must agree with Mr Right. Nicaragua was a deadly threat to the West, as a new socialist (dare I say the word?) government was spreading literacy and health care to the poor of Nicaragua, and working on alleviating poverty. That fully justifies the US Contra terror campaign there, which left 80 000 dead. And Granada! My, what a vicious threat that posed-had Grenada been let loose across Europe, who knows where we may be now? The Dominican Republic was also an extremely dangerous place that had to be kept under control. Fancy, a democratic government taking over in 1954! Thank God for the Marines, who went in to restore fascist dictatorship. Where would we be now if they hadn't? Oh, yes-Cuba. Why, we could all have had to be eating cheap socialist sugar by now if the US hadn't placed a world-wide trade embargo across the place in 1957. And there is definite evidence that Vietnam, allied of course to Mossad and OBL, was planning to invade New Zealand back in 1956. Thank God we were able to drop 2.25 million tons of bombs on them, and a lot more on Laos and Cambodia, just to make sure they didn't.

Wow! When one thinks of it, how the West has been saved! Thank you, super-hero.

The Obama "meteoric rise" is fuelled by the fizzling power of populism, and its "hopes" and "bipartisanship", like all false things, are bound to be dashed. In the dangerous times of our era we don't need the "magic rubb" of populist politicians, like Obama and our own Kevin Rudd, who are trying to seduce the electorate with their flamboyant but vacuous rhetoric, but the imaginary rubb of statesmen of Churchillian mettle, resolution, and sagacity.

http://kotzabasis1.wordpress.com

pelican, as Aussies might say, you are "spot on". I can see no reason for the blind, determined invasion of Iraq by the Bush administration except its hopes of controlling oil in the Middle East. We have gotten off subject here, however. We were "praising" (or otherwise discussing) Barack Obama. In the original article, the author stated, "What is striking about Obama is that he goes out of his way to see the reasonableness in the other side’s positions." We have gotten away from evaluating the importance of this aspect of leading a nation.

Obama is a fake and a puppet. In some State primaries, up to 30% of his vote is Republican on a "Two-For-One" Deal. They boast about it on Republican sites, vote for Obama in the Dem primary (to get rid of *her*), then vote Repub in November to get rid of *him*. His very, very few deeds have proven him Republican-Lite and funded by powerful multinationals. They may prefer GOP, but they aren't going to lose sleep with 2nd-best if it happens.

Credit where credit is due. The USA wins the Gold Medal hands-down for manufacturing slick propaganda, and Obama is proof of that incredible skill. As for his father's stories, what would he know? His father left the country when he was barely 2 years old! Had no contact with him. He lived in Indonesia with a wealthy oil-baron as a step-father until he was nearly 10, when he was sent back to Hawaii to live with his white grandparents.

Holy cow this is a discussion of the blinkered by the blinkered. I've been away sailing for a week yet even I heard the latest poll results in the US. Against either Clinton or Obama the polls indicate MaCain wins hands down.

Disregard the polls or argue against them ... well ok but they were remarkably accurate in Australia recently.