Treating terroristm as a crime worked to thwart the millenium bombing attempt, but the Bush Administration wanted to take a broader approach and not "swat a flies" like UBL and AQ. He wanted to kick the whole hornets' nest. Nice sentiment George, but hornets sting too.

ABCNEWS.com : Clarke: Rice Testimony Bolstered My Claims

And while I'm talking about the hornets' nests, can someone explain to me who doesn't want to be free in Iraq? It seems to me that Sadr and his followers wish to be free to set themselves up in power, in their own country I might add, and be equally free to give the US a bloody nose.

And what is the difference between "...a series of actionable items" and a "plan?" Typical Bush, just like Reagan, quite the delegator but lazy manager. That strategic view is just an excuse for non-action. 33 meetings by the NSC and not one meeting on terroristm? Certainly not grounds for impeachment, nor proof that Bush et al. were in any way to blame for 9/11, but an admission that more could be done, and an apology for not following through is required.

I would have absolutely no problem with anything that has happened with regard to Iraq in the last year or so, if only one thing changed. That of course would be UN participation. I firmly believe that had we waited one or two more months we would have gotten the support of France Germany and Russia, not only in votes, but also in blood and treasure. That legality would have taken the rug out from any legitimacy Sadr's followers feel for his rebbellion and there would be no question that he could not attract popular support.

What Clarke says about undermining the WoT is so damn true. Not even getting into the logistics of troop deployments and ignoring Afghanistan, but this Iraq incursion has so cut into Bush's credibility that he has squandered the support of our allies and half of the American People, people who would otherwise be fully behind the struggle to thwart terrorists, or more accurately, islamofascists. Saddam was a stalinist and peice of dirt, but the islamofascists reside in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Gaza, but not Bagdad until Bush Inc. "freed" them.

I did like Bob Kerry pointing out that terrorism is a tactic, not a movement, or ideology, much like the "terrorists" in Iraq engaging in the tactic of kidnapping. They are rebels, just like the rebels in palestine terrorize with suicide (or if you watch Fox News, homicide) bombers. [If you don't realize by now, suicide bomber is the more accurate description, don't argue the point, you are wrong.] Remember, rebels sometimes become revolutionaries, or even patriots, but only if they get to write the history books.

I've been called un-American for my views, which are admittedly anti-Bush. Also dismissed as a blind partisan. In reality, I simply dread cleaning up the mess Bush has made of our foreign relations. I consider our foreign policy in a state of disaster and I have no confidence that Bush can fix it because he created it and sees no preoblems. I do, and I believe that the madness must stop and only will if Bush's regime is limited to one term.

You are certaily entitled to entertain an opposite opinion. But I would hope that reasonable minds would agree that our relations with most other nations of the world are less than desired and could use improvement. Likewise I would challenge anyone to convince me that W is just the guy to make things better. Quite the contrary. This is his mess and it's too much for him to fathom.