DISCUSSION RE: THE FRENCH.Perky.....your comments are spot on regarding the situation in Iraq.
However, what needs to be realized is that there is really little difference between the average American of today, & the average Russian of the 1990's. Just as the Soviet leaders lied to their people about the great "power" of the Soviet Union....& the gullible Russians believed it, so too, today, Are the Bushies lying to the American people....about the economy, about Iraq, about Social Security, about Iran.....if you like the Iraq quagmire, you'll love the impending one in Iran !!!!
The truly tragic part of this whole scenario is that your average American has no idea of what is truly happening to their once great & decent country...they are too absorbed by their gossip magazines, their T.V. reality-garbage shows etc.etc.
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield have succeeded in creating their right-wing dictatorship, & use the Iraqi people as their disposable pawns in their plot.
By the time the average American wakes up....if they ever do......their economy will have collapsed under the weight of the trillion $ deficit.
The U.S. is headed for an economic Depression that will be infinitely worse than the Depression of the 1930's....& its likely to happen sooner rather than later.
It is truly a tragedy for , in truth Americans are very decent people but they have bought the Bush/Cheney lies....hook, line & sinker.