Raoul,

I know you stake your position based on concern for others, but what you and so many others seem to fail to understand is that most of the other side does as well. I do think it is a left brain right brain thing. On an emotional level most people see war as a bad thing. It is so revolting that many accept no justification for it. Others see other events as being as bad or worse and believe that if war is the only choice it is justifiable if it prevents worse. I tried to make the point earlier by pointing out that your stance implies the US should not have faught Germany in WW2 or 1 for that matter. Is that really what you believe?

The US has spent a lot of time and money trying to make war as surgical as possible so that the fewest number of innocent bystanders and even colaborating civilians are harmed as possible. No one wants the loss of innocent life. The sad thing is I think the latest gulf war was avoidable if the UN had stood firm against Saddam and kept a firm threat of force for failure to abide by the terms that ended GW1 faught to evict him from Kuwait. France and Russia approved a resolution threatening dire consequences if Iraq did not fully comply with UN resolutions at a time when the US was obviously preparing to fight if needed. The US obviously intended that wording to allow military action and France and Russia were just as obviously stalling for an additional resolution. It was only after the US buildup and a forceful resolution that inspectors were allowed back in. French and Russian waffling afterwards led to a miscalculation on Saddam's part that his buddies would bail him out yet again as they did when he through the inspectors out.

Regards,
Mark