>A lot of people in government (and the private sector) have a lot of control over things like health care, education, the economy, social issues - but when it comes to national security, if the president ( Jimmy Carter, Lyndon Johnson e.g. ) does not see the world clearly we are in trouble.

Do you really think GWB has a clear understanding of the world we live in? Do you really think that the whole world wants his idea of freedom enough to have it imposed on them by an invading force? I think he has a very narrow view of what the world is like, what other people believe in and want in their lives and is arrogant enough to think that his view is the only right view and that god is on his side. "They hate us for our freedom" is a nice sound byte, but I think everyone knows it is BS. It shouldn't be too hard to understand the resistance in Iraq. Would you not become an insurgent if another powerful nation invaded the US, deposed Bush (whether you agree with him or not), defeated our military, and patrolled your streets in tanks to maintain "order" while they installed their idea of government?

While I do think that the Iraqi people are better off without Saddam in power, I think that the jury is still out on whether the "world" is a safer place. Surely the end of the oppression and torture chambers, rape rooms and mass killings is better for the Iraqi people but I think Bill Maher is absolutely correct when stated that if you were to ask the average Iraqi if they would rather have Saddam in power or have their daughter walking down the street in a mini skirt, they would choose Saddam. I would willing to bet that within 5 years of "freedom" in Iraq, without outside intervention and control, that Iraq becomes a fundamentalist Islamic state by the will of its people.

I am not so arrogant to believe that the entire world yearns for the US idea of "freedom" and that it is in the world's (or even the US) best interest to spread democracy at all costs to depose all of the "bad" men that are in power around the world. If you believe that GWB's ideology and foriegn policy is the way to our national security, you better line up and line up your kids and grandkids to join in the fight for this cause, because there are a lot of "bad" men out there to bring down and our arrogance is breeding many more terrorists that will be intent on attacking us at any opportuniity.