We have spent the last fifty years pumping money, aid, technology, and military assistance into nations who have thanked us by spitting on our shoes. Fine. It's the thought that counts, I guess. But I'm not holding out too much hope for any long-term gratitude here, either. I hope I'm wrong.

And I suppose I overreacted to just one phrase in Mary Anne's post, but I am getting sick to death of America getting grief for supporting the only tiny nation in the Middle East that even approaches a modern, pluralistic democracy with rights for women and others. I suppose it's par for the course. We used to get crapped on for opposing communist tyrannies, too.

That the American Left, which prides itself on its concern for women, gays, civil rights, and other such issues, immediately fastens itself in protests and political alliances to radical Islamist groups, which represent opposition to ALL these, is bizarre.

Equally bizarre is the idea that somehow we should be atoning to the Muslim world for rescuing 25 million Muslims in Iraq from a tyranny that executed hundreds of thousands of Shiites and others, prevented worship at mosques, slew Muslim religious leaders, and locked Muslims worldwide away from religious sites. Geez, excuse the hell out of us.