I can't hear reports about the escalating tensions in Iraq without getting angrier, so I'm going to keep away from discussing that here. Like you cared what I thought anyway. It just bothers me that so much of the world is quickly hating us for how we've handled this, and people are going so far as to say the compassion thrown our way after 9/11 has now run out.

The last thing I will say though is this: Even if we get Saddam, if we kill him or imprison him, it won't make me feel any safer. It bothers me that the government is now admitting that this military action, this undeclared war, will result in terrorists planning to strike in the United States. How can you go after Saddam under the guise of "protecting the American people" when you're also admitting it will directly lead to an increased potential for harm to be done in our own country? I do not disagree that Saddam must be defeated, but we'd have an easier time doing it and we'd have the support of our allies (and maybe even the United Nations) if we'd been more straightforward and diplomatic about it. Even if we get Saddam, there are other Middle Eastern countries to deal with, there is Osama bin Laden, there is North Korea. By being so arrogant and open about what we're going to do, I think we're exposing � and alienating, isolating � ourselves too much.

That said, let's kick his ass. And quickly.