Americans have had a lot of time to figure it out, and we haven't. We sneered at the little dark-skinned slopes wearing shoes made of old tires trying to fight against the modern US military might in Vietnam. They kicked the living lettuce out of us no matter what is claimed. They beat us badly. Their biggest weapon - the power of an idea, independence for their country.

Iraq. Whipped again, by third-world warriors. The US is afraid to go anywhere except at gunpoint. Their biggest weapon, the power of ideas, hatred of foreigners and resentment of another Crusade, a Christian President attacking the infidels.

Afghanistan. Beginning to see a pattern? Your $2 billion bombers being useless? Ideas again, fighting American imperialism. And they want it more.

And now, following the American tradition of never learning from history, you are underestimating the power another set of concepts, those of justice, equality and fairness.

You have the police, the military and ultimately a losing hand. But keep sneering, it's all you will have in the end.