War for oil.

Go to your nearest large library and get the microfiche for the January 28, 1957 issue of Time magazine (Which has on the cover one King Saud of Saudi Arabia)

You'll find one of the best condensed histories of oil development in the region as well as how beholden the region is to America for bringing them from the middle ages and a "medieval" infrastructure to a semi-modern electric infrastructure.

The Sacred Black Stone (meteorite) that the pilgrims to Mecca would kiss and walk the seven times round the Kaaba - used to cost muslims money before the US arrived on the scene: "The pilgrim head tax" used to be the primary revenue of Saudi Arabia before the US came with technology to extract oil. After the US came King Saud said "Let the pilgrim come. I will pay the tax. Allah has given me the money from oil."

Muslims should be kissing America's behind. But most Muslims do not even know the history of the past fifty years of their own countries!

"Americans run the power plants, the water supply, the airport" - yes Americans were the only ones who knew how.

King Saud had some other choices lines too: "Why don't we sacrifice 10 million of our number to uproot Israel - which to the Arab world is like a cancer on the human body."

Yes America was invited by King Saud - because we were the best and the most apolitical of partners.

Bottom line: America is the salvation and sole reason for any progress and quality of life much of the middle east has had. (The other nation being Britain)

Iraq is sure to benefit massively by a US invasion. It will be much easier reforming Iraq into a democracy than Afghanistan. The millions who do not perish by supporting Saddam - will prosper over the status quo immensely.

Yes..what really burns you is that you know this is true. And like all anti-americans running around these day - you can't stand that truth.

Facts are by themselves stupid things - but when put to use by an alert mind, they become an invaluable asset and contribute to great wisdom and intelligence.

SDAI-Tech1