ToMacco, that statement you made abouit Mah is way off. He can call Bush a jack-ass if he wants and its not a comment about the American people in any way (more of whom, in any case, voted for Gore). Indeed, I know for a fact that some US posters around here are ardent Democrats and cannot stand the man. So don't accuse him of insulting your entire country just because he expresses an opinion that many others, includingnthose in your own country, also share.
And even if he had got 100% of the vote, any public leader, especially one from the world's superpower, is subject to criticism worldwide, and it STILL wouldn't be an indictment of the people who voted him into office. And Mah is simply voicing an opinion that is very common in the Continent; Bush is simply not popular in Europe. People have been rapidly warming to him in the UK, though.
Now. To get down to cases. First of all, Tomacco, do not totally dismiss the idea of a peaceful solution to a terrorsit situation- after all, that's what we are up to in Northern Ireland, not least, I may add, because there was a lot of pressure from your country to stop the violence. SO don;t TOTALLY dismiss it; I get the idea that you think a peaceful solution is utterly ludicrous when it;s not actually that strange.
HOWEVER, at this point in time the military solution is the only appropriate one, I feel, so so do the heads of most Western Governments. This is becase 1. a clear threat still exists and 2. a negotiated solution is currently impossible. It is impossible because a. of a complete foregin policy failure from the US to Central Asia over the last two decades, but no use crying over spilt milk, and b. because the US could no more withdraw from Israel than it could hack off its own right foot.
So I support the action, in broad terms, but the point still is that it is not going particularly well right now., The Taliban are surprised at how ineffective it is, the people, food parcels or no, are hating you more and more, innocent people are dying (an inevitable consequence, to be sure, but they seem to be dying without ANYTHING being achieved!), the Northern Alliance is losing patience, the entire Arab world is turning against you and frankly the whole coalition will fall apart unless something more decsiive is done soon!
Anyway, yes, I hope this is successful and I hope that all terrorism is, indeed, wiped out. With any luck this bobmbing campign will turn out in tretrospect to be more effective than it looks now, because right now it is looking like an own goal.