1 Sarah - You and I want to see the stories of heroism, drama, character, humor, etc. I'm sure that we are not unusual in that respect, and most Americans want that as well. But there are a lot of folks in Hollyweed who think that the average demographic is the anti-war elitist. Just proves that they don't know their target public!

2 I think the biggest scandal of the war has been Bush and the Mission Accomplished banner. The mission is still not accomplished and I could care less if soldiers are blowing off a little steam by mud wrestling. Over here people are worried more about whether a minor league baseball stadium is going up in there backyard or passing a law to stop people from wearing low-riding pants. Someone needs to get their priorities straight!

3 Chuck, Militarily speaking, a mission refers to a very specific goal within a larger action. A war consists of multiple missions, each of which can be celebrated in their accomlishment without saying that the war has been "won."

4 I think the biggest scandal is the fact that there were no WMD. My brothers went over there to fight, they are still on the ground there now. The reason they were sent there was a complete lie, and that hurts a lot. There is plenty of evidence to show that Abu Ghraib was NOT just a few bad apples, but directives from the top. The same torture techmiques were being used an Gitmo. Before the torture was discovered the administration was playing games with coming up with justifications for torture, and trying to redefine torture. You're kidding yourself if you pretend that it was just a few people acting independently. Responsibility is supposed to go to the leadership, Bush dodging blame has shamed us all. Other serious scandals: Dropping the ball on guarding hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives, while rushing to protect the oil ministry. Throwing away billions of taxpayer dollars in high dollar no bid contracts to Halliburton, despite other qualified companies being available for bid. $5000 toilet seats look like a bargain these days. Working closely with Ahmed Chalabi who was an Iranian spy passing intelligence to Iran. Worse was when Bush tried to cover his ass and and said "Adhmed who?" when asked about him after the scandal hit. Falujah - The collective punishment of the people of that city was unconscionable. No other move has given so much support to the insurgents. There are many more that come to mind.

5 Why do Liberals always post a laundry list of the same lies and twisted half-truths? >there were no WMD. Every intelligence service on planet Earth told there were, as did the UN itself, as late as 1999. So, where did it all go? Please explain your theory. >The reason they were sent there Congress voted to send troops to Iraq in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in October 2002. It listed over a dozen reasons for sending troops to Iraq; the existence of WMDs was just one of them. >Abu Ghraib was NOT just a few bad apples, but >directives from the top I'll never understand this particular Liberal lie, except in the deep-seated need to smear the troops and their Commander-in-Chief as much as possible. >torture techmiques were being used an Gitmo We do not use torture. We make people somewhat uncomfortable. That's not torture, and calling it so does not make it so. Torture is defined as causing physical damage. >guarding hundreds of thousands of tons of >explosives I believe you're talking about the 380 tons of explosives that were moved after the invasion began, but before our troops reached that area. Hard to tell, with all your overblown rhetoric. It's true, after all: Liberals are bad at math! "Hundreds of thousands of tons," indeed. >no bid contracts to Halliburton Are you talking about the no-bid contracts awarded to Halliburton by Clinton during the Balkans conflict? If so, you're the first Liberal to acknowlege them. Congratulations! >other qualified companies being available for bid Name them. Then explain why you think they can do a tenth of the job Halliburton has been doing for decades, a tenth as well. Then explain why you think time-critical jobs should wait for a two-to-four year bidding process, when only one company can actually do the job. >Ahmed Chalabi who was an Iranian spy Proof, please. Thanks! >collective punishment of the people of that city You mean the people who left notes in their houses thanking the Americans for freeing them, and inviting them to stay in their homes, when the Americans allowed the Fallujah residents to leave the city? Those people? You need to come out of your walled ivory tower and learn what's really going on in the world.

6 Cavalier, I am not a liberal, nor do I live in an ivory tower. I am actually independent of any political party, unlike you, so I don't have any reservations admitting to the failings of Clinton, Bush, or any other leader. It is really quite funny that you accuse me of partisanship, seeing that you obviously live in such blatantly self-imposed partisan ignorance. You make excuses for the failings of Bush & co., simply because you imagine that they are on your team, while we all know that if Bush belonged to a different political party you would be calling for blood. Speaking of blood, your hostility to facts is summed up by suggesting that there was no torture in Abu Ghraib. There were images of a prisoner's legs being torn open by attack dogs. It was torture, plain and simple. But since it is your guy who is ultimately responsible, you have to play a Clintonian definition game. The facts are there staring you in the face, but they don't fit your worldview, so you hide from them.

7 Attacking me personally just makes you look like more of a fool. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm an unaffiliated Conservative. Maybe you should stop digging your hole when you're in over your head. As for your insistence that the Abu Ghraib guards did things they shouldn't have: I agree with that assessment. So does the Bush administration and the UCMJ, which is why they're being tried for exceeding their orders and committing crimes. Next point... oh, wait, you were out of those.

8 FWIW, you attacked me personally. I responded in kind. You responded with another personal attack. You obviously aren't a bright one. Glad we agree on the fact that there was torture, though you have changed your position on the matter. Since you don't seem to be able to rebut my point except for by agreeing with it I guess this discussion isn't going to go anywhere. Have fun with you head in the sand.