Instead of driving away France, Germany, Russia and Canada with financial sanctions, the president should be creating the room for compromise that will lead to those countries' sending money and troops to Iraq. That would help to create a secure enough environment for the United Nations to come in and take over the nation-building responsibilities, giving the occupation an international face.

Definition of "financial sanctions:" withholding U.S. taxpayer money from those who have done nothing but spit in our eye at best, and actively try to thwart us at worst.

So, tell me, after they stabbed us in the back at the U.N., forced us into months of fruitless negotiations over a "resolution" while our forces surrounded Iraq and Saddam had those months to plan, hide, and prepare; how exactly should we "compromise" with nations like France to suddenly get some pathetic trickle troops and funds from them? As though they would ever do that no matter what we did, or what we gave up?

The current definition of "compromise" seems to have become indistiguishable from "capitulate."

I can't convince you that the U.N. is useless any more than I could convince the Pope that God doesn't exist, but fortunately most of the people in charge in America at this time think that a nearly flawless U.N. record of failure in efforts like this actually means something.

Come on, try your scenario above out for yourself. Actually THINK about it.

Okay, France sends troops and money. How does this suddenly make Iraq "safe" enough for the chickenshit U.N. to actually set foot on the ground? How? Come on, actually think it through. Baathists aren't going to shoot at Frenchmen? The Baathists are going to decide somehow that their "kill them until they give up" tactics aren't going to work on French soldiers, or U.N. troops?

"Giving the occupation an international face????" Look back at the past month or so. Is there any evidence at all that the Baathists aren't just as happy to kill Japanese, Spanish, Italians, or pretty much any damn person at all that stands in the way of their regaining absolute power and refilling the mass graves?

Are we even on the same goddam planet here? Are you actually writing from some alternate universe where the French Army is actually comprised of Dorsai shock troops? Where the U.N. forces are famous for courage, pitched battles and the elimination of their enemies?

You, and many others (including most Democratic politicians) insist that life would be a bowl of cherries if only the U.N. or an international force that includes France and Germany (the other nations apparently don't count) take over in Iraq. There is not one, single piece of objective evidence to indicate that this is true, and I'm beginning to think that you are all shouting it as a desperate mantra because you can't think of anything else.