I'm very sorry for the situation you were in, but I won't let you pretend I said things I didn't, nor progogate Obama's spin at will unchallenged.

- I did NOT say anything about American rage.  I didn't use it as an argument for or against the Iraq war.

- At no point did I say (or even create the impression) that I had any affection for George W. Bush.

- On a side note, if you'd watched the news in the last two days you'd see the Iraqi government has just started putting out oil contracts to foreign companies to increase domestic production.

- What I DID say is that on September 11, 2001, EVERY militant islamist out their heard a call to arms and was inspired to rise up against America.  Back before he looked like he had a shot at nomination, even OBAMA acknowledged that he had to give George Bush significant credit for the prevention of terrorist acts in the USA post 9/11.  Iraq is certainly not the only reason Bush managed to do this, but it certainly plays a part.

- War, no war, is ever pretty, or clean, or intrinsically good.  As I said, I don't know if the Iraq war was a rightious one (certainly it wasn't based on the WMD argument), but if it had been fought how it is being fought now from the beginning I suspect public opinion AND the situation on the ground would be very different.  McCain OPPOSED most of Bush's operational decisions.

- Osama Bin Laden is on the Pakistani/Afgahnistani border.  You remember Afgahnistan?  That would be the war NATO and most of the world thinks is a good war that was Bush's brainchild.  The one noone gives him credit for when its going well, but everyone attacks him over when its going poorly.  Thats much like the Iraq war.  For three years the Democrats couldn't shutup about it, but now its going well they can't get away from the issue fast enough.

- Finally I would like to ask you a question.  Say Obama gets in.  What do you think will change?  Apart from the fact we'd now have an inexperienced leader who has no discernible military knowledge, Obama COULDN'T simply withdraw the troops.  The bloodbath that would be caused by a premature American withdrawal would cop the USA FAR more flak than being there in the first-place.  Leaving the Iraqi's defensless could prove to be the biggest warcrime of the last two decades.  No matter who gets in in November, the USA isn't leaving Iraq anytime soon.

Let me tell you somthing: I live in Manhattan. I was 1/2 a mile from ground Zero on 911. I don't need to describe to you the rage I felt watching those planes slam into those towers. I don't need to tell you how you could smell the burning bodies for weeks afterwards. Then your boy Bush sends our troops into IRAQ? What about Osama Bin Ladin? What like him and Sadamm were chilling up in IRAQ? There were no weapons of mass destruction! There isn't even any oil to jack!

Now our boys (and girls) out there and sit and wait to die. They don't even get to die in combat with honor. They're running over land mines. They come home with no arms. No legs. Or tagged in a bag. And where is Osama Bin? He's still free. And I'm still disgusted.

3rd Bush term? More of my fellow countrymen dead in Iraq? Hell no!

Operationally, practically, effectively? I don't think Obama is really going to change much. What is going to change is the attitude. Is he going to pull out of Iraq, 18 months after he would take office there would be significantly less U.S. troops in Iraq. But it will be because of Bush finally listening to military leaders instead of his "trusted" advisors for the past year and a half. The bigger influence, however, is the influx of EU and Asian investment in Iraq. Maliki has been setting up deals for a few months now which will bring in jobs for Iraqis. When the U.S. and Iraq get the Oil Deal worked out, gas prices will go down and Iraq will have even more money (they have a budget surplus right now). Iraq now has the willing man power and training, the foreign support, and the money for change; it is only a matter of time.

The U.S. government has 2 major problems right now. Too much devaluation of the dollar and image (which is important for gaining foreign public support on treaties, trade deals and other international agreements). Neither McCain or Obama is going to have much of an effect on the economy directly, but both will restore confidence in the U.S. in foreign investors eyes. Obama will bring in more EU money, McCain will bring in more money from Asia (I can support this if you really want me too, but my post would be really long). Foreign firms and governments may also start reserving U.S. dollars again if certain circumstances align (Iraq success, Housing market return, etc).