[mburbank]

What will we do if, as is highly likely, the Shiite majority VOTE for Sharia Law? Overthrow them again until they adopt the kind of democracy we meant?

Are the attrocities you point out the reason we are at war in Iraq? Because we need to get very busy cleaning house, starting with our close pals, the Saudis and our trading partners, the Chinese. Do you believe that Iraq was the worst defiler of human rights? And that human rights had anything at all to do with our invasion? Will you tell me that my unwilligness to use our military to overthrow the leaders we don't like (and I have a very long list) means I favor Sharia?

Leave aside that W and company weren't thinking about such niceties. This is all about preemption, not human rights. You use Saudia Arabia as an example of how bad thing can be in a dictatorship, and I agree. But we have nothing against them, we won't even act agressively to get their royal family to stop funneling money to known terrorist groups. Directly after 9/11, we didn't question Osama's family, we flew them out of the country! I bet Jose Padilla wishes he had that kind of family.

You are advocating an entirely different foreign policy than the one we have and saying 'well this is close!' My contention is it isn't close, I don't think the administration wants any of the things you're talking about and I think they count on getting decet people like yourself so riled they can't see straight.

Terrorism is terrible. Far more people die in car accidents. You are being manipulated.

Human rights abuse is rampant and an abomination. Bush is not a human rights president. Join Amnesty International. You are being manipulated.

I also think a stable, democratic Iraq would be a lovely thing. Hell, I'd settle for Pakistan having elected leaders and Saudi Arabai having a constitutional monarchy. I'd like to by the world a coke, but you don't do it at gun point.