To: Jim McMannis who wrote (166242 ) 3/30/2003 9:07:37 AM From: Alighieri Read Replies (3) | Respond to of 1583389 "Lets call the "War Protesters" exactly what they are.. Bush haters. They hate President Bush, and they will do ANYTHING in their power to make him look bad or to take the opportunity to insult him. I am willing to be only about 10% of the people protesting the war are really truly doing it because they hate war.. The rest are just left wing extremists who are pissed off Bush won the election, and will do anything to make sure he is not re-elected. This is little more than lazy rationalization. There are lots of reasons for disliking this man...not the least of which is the appearance that he is either a deceptive bastard or a puppet...or a little of both. The condition of the country and the world are in no small measure a repudiation of the tenet below, so reassuring and central to his campaign for the presidency. Mr. Bush came to office determined, by his own account, not to swagger and not to overreach. "If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us," he said in the second presidential debate against Al Gore in 2000. "If we're a humble nation but strong, they'll welcome us." That was a promise to check hubris at the door, an effort to guard against the temptation to believe that because he had such awesome power at his fingertips, he could and should use it to achieve grandiose objectives. nytimes.com I understand that 9/11 changed things somewhat...but a switch so radical is a sure sign of absence of political fundamentals or blatant campaign lying or manipulation. In any case, the people who stand behind the swagger of this presidency were hired long before 9/11. Al