Neil,

I think you've hit on the most "curious" aspect of this whole mess and of the muscle-flexing of the U.S. in recent years in general...

When interviewed I've seen/heard people from Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan and Palestinians and Egyptians and many other say directly that they do NOT blame/criticize/dislike/etc the American PEOPLE but have a severe problem with their leadership AND their foreign policies. And not just your 'elites' in those countries, but your person on the street who is just trying to get by day-to-day.

And there's no doubt in my mind that the American people are hugely generous as individuals and as small 'associations' (NGOs and the like). I believe it is these actions that those interviewees are thinking of when they say what they say.

But *I* feel that it is also true that the U.S. leadership, especially the current president, use this to their 'benefit'. In particular I believe that the leadership exploits the good will of these people to (i) keep them busy so they have less time to criticize/demonstrate; (ii) use the treasury $$$ freed up by these people to add to their war capability; (iii) exploit the generosity of these people to achieve their (leadership's) own ends.
There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that OIL availability is issue #1 in the U.S. leaderships' minds and growing their own richess through growing that of their friends is issue #2.

I remember well that a primary diagnosis for the collapse of the USSR was the President Reagan essentially 'bankrupted' them by forcing them to spend what they didn't have to keep up with the arms buildup by the U.S.
This makes me wonder if the terrorists are possibly trying to achieve a similar thing by 'forcing' so much spending on internal security that the U.S. is eventually bankrupted.

regards (can't use the usual 'cheers' in this case)
Jim

>Metin,
>
>And if the small groups of individuals around the world (whatever colour, creed or religion) stopped believing that its okay to fly airliners (with women and children) into skyscrapers or detonate bombs in cars then maybe this would not be happening today? I happen to have a lot of American friends who would rather have their troops at home and safe, who hate the idea of people dying, period.
>
>The picture painted by the media about the American people is totally inacurrate.
>
>Regards
>Neil