"The guy (ritter)gets 400k to play with and does a 100% turnaround in his opinions.'

box - you have not proved either of these assertions (what does getting 400k to 'play with' mean ???? - what 100% turnaround has he done - did you ever read what he has said or listen to him ????)

Re my position re Saddam

What I think and what I can prove are two different things. I Think Saddam is a regular asshole. I don't think he is quite the asshole Bush says he is. I would be happy to see Saddam go to hell.

I think Saddam has been still trying to build some nuke capability - I think Saddam is a typical Arab dictator who in the past fucked up badly in choosing his friends (with friends like he thought he had, who needs enemies - ever).

I don't believe for an instant that Saddam would use a nuke against America. I believe OBL would but OBL is *not* Saddam. Overthrowing Saddam for something OBL *might* do is pure shit.

I think that if Bush produces *any* credible evidence that Saddam has evil intent toward the US then the US should do what it believes it needs to to protect itself. But Bush has not done so.

I also feel really pissed off at those people in positions of power in the US who are so bloodymindedly brainless as to be generating so much ill will to the USA after so many people worldwide felt so strongly for the US ater 9/11. I have so many valued & good frieds in the US who are good and sensible people who deserve to be thought of so much more highly than Rumz & Cheney & Bush's odium being generated. Powell at
least still has credibility outside the US and among many within but 2-gun Rumz is the man carrying the day.

Go read this weeks Newsweek & TIME & see what your own journalists are saying on this topic. I, like many of them, am angry. These power mad bastards running the US are unfit for office anywhere. It isn't as if Bush won a lanslide election and can claim he had a mandate from the elctorate. What they are doing to the image of the US will hurt decent US people for a long time to come. I truly doubt that the harm done in the past few months can be undone. As Newsweek article said Bush hasn't got a clue about diplomacy.

If this message isn't coming through loud and clear then I feel sorry for you. I have too many good friends & had too many good times in the US to hold back on what I see happening by way of growing ill-will to USA outside of the US. I believe this fact just isn't getting through the propaganda wall.

Doug Marker