Dean:

I think if you were with us on our tour of the Soviet Union, you would not have seen them as very capable of launching a nuclear war head to the US. I know we wearn't toured through their missle sites but you still get a pretty good feeling about the attitudes of the people when looking at things with your own eyes.

We were in Bangcock when there was a coup of the government. You would never have know it. The tour buses kept on trucking, yet people reading the papers feared for our safety.

My wife and I have visited 34 countries and our feelings have been the same in all countries. The people are the same as we are. They want a job, food, shelter, peace and a good life for their children. Its true that political leaders over peaceful people can still start a war but it is not something the people want to do. I am including the Arabs when I say this.

They have done studies on the SCUD missles that Iraq used in the first Gulf War. The Patriot Missle was supposed to be effective against them. It was later determined that the SCUD Missles pretty much disintegrated during re-entry. This was known well before George started the second Gulf War.

Re your press. Yes the Washington Post did a marvellous job of exposing Richard Nixon in the 70's but during the time that Colin Powell was at the UN trying to justify the war, the American press was pretty much behind him. The 2 themes were a) The President is right and they just don't get it and b) The UN is outdated and should be abandonned. It took at least 6 months after the war started before the press realized that they should have had a more balanced opinion. You had riots in the streets against the war but the press was pretty much behind the president. Our Prime Minister would not have had such a good ride.