Originally Posted by Mutt

this shouldn't be a surprise to anybody - from Day One i knew that the US would have a large presence in Iraq for the next 100 years. It's not an occupation - it's an attempt to bring that shithole and its poor people into the 21st century so they don't spend the next 100 years killing each other and providing a breeding ground for terrorists. You don't see many Japanese bitching these days. Getting their asses finally kicked in WWII was the best thing that ever happened to them. And for those who want to say that this is all about US corporations and politicians getting rich - look at the Japanese auto and electronics industries, the US created an economic powerhouse at the expense of their own corporations and workers. Iraqis won't be forced or asked to salute the American flag nor change their religion or customs.

The best thing that can happen to a country in the long run is to lose a war to the United States. Think Russians today aren't more than happy that they lost the Cold War?

For all its warts the Unites States of America is still the greatest country on the planet.