Tench Re..Hmaly, <And I must admit that I have been slow on the uptake, when Al and Ted have stated that Europe fears the US more than they fear Saddam.>
Me too. It makes a lot more sense now, despite the severe denial that I think still affects lots of Europeans out there.
What is funny is that Europe is cozying up to Russia, even though Russia still possess 3000 nukes and enough manpower to squash Europe even today, without America's umbrella. And you see new Europe siding with the US, while old Europe, who got the most help from the US, going toward Russia. Frankly, I expect Europe to stagnate, much as Japan has, until they fix their economic problems. Holding the US back, won't keep, China, Russia, and the Pacific basin back. And if the US is successful in democratizing the middle east, the middle east, with its oil, and need for modernization, could meld nicely with the US's oil thirst, and technology, creating a huge powerhouse, even China will have trouble competing with.
guess the question now isn't one of if, but when. Some are still predicting war this month. Is that likely, or will Bush wait it out even longer?
My guess is that as soon as the troops held up by Turkey are in place, where ever that is, the war will begin in earnest. Some say it has already begun. It was said this AM that Russia might introduce troops, to help UN inspectors, so you can bet, in order to avoid problems, the US will go before they get there.
As a side note, last night on 60 minutes, they had a piece on IIT, the Indian Institute of Technology. They have 3500 students a yr. and most emigrate to the US. So we don't have to worry about dumbing down our universities, we can just get them overseas. Hopefully, our students are smart enough to get a job in India. |
