Shame. Look at US history in Germany, Japan, Panama...
France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Korea, Israel and yes, even the Philippines. (I'm sure I left some out, but you get the idea.) Then contrast to the sort of regimes you would prefer we leave alone. Like Saddam's for instance. Is there a neigboring people he didn't invade and either slaughter or try to slaughter?

What? When did we invade France, Italy, Belgium, Holland or Israel? I imagine you are taking about the aftermath of WWII here. There is a huge difference between WWII and the sort of war of domination you are supporting, we where dragged into WWII against our wills.

Or maybe you'll shame yourself further by using the old "but we did it for selfish motives" canard. If the US had been out for itself, there were far more obvious ways to go about it. Like occupying and looting all these countries instead of giving them democracy and a Marshall Plan. Beneficient is as beneficient does. The United States is the most selfless hegemon there has ever been, as even the most cursory comparative review will show, and the most detailed will verify.

Neither country had much worth looting left. And both where needed to serve a much more important role, allies against Russia. The issue of why the reconstruction went so much better in those countries then what we are facing now is a whole different argument.

Oh, and then look at the Chile case a bit more closely, and tell me if you've been fair even there. That regime was as democratic as Hitler's. He came into power by democratic means too, ya know.

What did you have in mind? I have never seen anything against Allende that stood up to scrutiny.

And in any case, even you have to admit that Pinochet was far worse. Pinochet probably can't be 100% blaimed on the US, as the US probably didn't pick him. But the US had been encouraging the military to stage a coup for some time, and was more then willing to work with him afterwards.

Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame. You try to defend the worst scoundrels of the world by carping on the smallest errors of their betters. Is there an honest bone in your body?

You have to get the idea that I am defending people like Saddam out of your head. Your trying to polarize the sitatuion, either I support invasion or I support Saddam. The reality is that I support neither. Remeber Marlow, it's among the people you are supporting that you will find the people that helped Saddam.

Jay