<As the U.S. makes preparations for a second Gulf war, it faces unprecedented terrorist threats, a fraying transatlantic alliance (including perhaps the biggest split in NATO's 50 year history), and antagonistic relations with virtually the entire Islamic world.

NONE of these conditions existed in 1990/91.



...before eight years of Clinton. It should be remembered that the Cole, the first WTC bombing, and other terrorist actions in Africa and elsewhere took place on Clinton's watch. Before that, other terrorism took place on Reagan's. Does that make them responsible for the terrorism? Of course not, although one could argue that ineffective responses to the terrorism encouraged further acts. Despite what the loons think, Bush wasn't responsible for the successful WTC attack either.

The point is that virulent Islamic hostility towards the United States is hardly "unprecedented," nor was it suddenly invented in January of 2001.