How do we as Americans fix W's horrible mess? What is the plan?

This Newsweek article will come as no shock to anyone here on ATS unless you are in denial mode or living under a rock somewhere. The hole that once was international opinion of our country is steadily getting deeper and darker every day that we stay put in Iraq while our troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians are blown up ten by twenty every single day. George Bush and his idiotic "war on terror" has managed to create the largest gap between our country and our (former) allies that we have ever seen. Let me state that I am not a liberal person, I definately have a more conservative system of personal beliefs. I am all for defending out nation by any means needed and if it is war then so be it.

But you would have to be a complete liar or an insufferable moron to deny that G.W. has run our great country into the ground. This war in Iraq, wheather it was started for oil or for genuine concerns over Saddams regime, has been the worst *snip* that this country has seen in decades, possibly EVER. We have wasted billions of dollars, thousands of young precious American lives, and completely undermined our position as a responsible super power amongst the international community all within about a five year stretch. This article represents how we as a country are viewed throughout the rest of the world, and it saddens me because I feel strongly that the majority of good Americans do NOT agree with how this country has been run and is currently being operated and it makes me angry that Bush will leave this awful mess for the rest of us to clean up. While he and Dick "Halliburton" Cheney take their millions in oil and defense contract money and make a run for it we will be left to suffer the consequences. Our jobs are being outsourced, our economy is skidding out of control, our children are murdering each other, and this administration seems no more accountable now than they did when they stole the election and forced our country into an illegal war. There is no OBL captured, as far as I know Al Quada is stronger now than ever, we are doing nothing but breeding hatred for our country by being in Iraq and the worst part is that we are training our future enemies (Iraqi army?). It pains me to state the obvious, so I will simply ask this question. Do people in the US still love America? Have the people strayed so far from the great ideals and principles that this country was founded on? How can we ever manage to correct the terrible wrongs that this regime has commited against the rest of the international community? I realize that there are many other countries and regimes out there far worse than ours, but we are supposed to be leading by example no? Can we ever get this country back on track and get real leadership into the congress and the white house or are we doomed to more years of the same old blind beuracratic stupidity? How do we repair our once great standing amongst the rest of the world? I know there must be other Americans on this board who feel the same way, and I ask you all What do we do from here?

www.msnbc.msn.com...

April 19, 2007 - The results are now in. Whoever becomes president on Jan. 20, 2009, the next leader of the free world may face a task akin to taking over command of the Titanic. After the iceberg.That is the message behind a new multinational survey, released this week by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org, which showed that nations around the world reject the idea that the United States should play the role of preeminent world leader. A majority of respondents polled in 15 countries, representing about 56 percent of the world’s population (the survey included China, India and Russia), also said the United States cannot be trusted any longer "to act responsibly in the world." As Richard Holbrooke, the former U.N. ambassador, sums it up bluntly: “No president will ever have handed over a worse international situation than George W. Bush.”The current results contrast markedly with surveys taken at the end of the '90s. Even as recently as 2002 (before the invasion of Iraq, in other words), a Pew survey found that despite criticisms of U.S. policy, a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, most people accepted a one-superpower world, if grudgingly. Even in countries that have since become virulently anti-American, like Jordan, Egypt and Russia, majorities back then concluded that “the world is safer with the United States as the lone superpower,” the survey noted. To compare 1999 State Department data with recent surveys by the Pew Trust, favorable views of the United States have dropped in Britain from 83 percent to 56 percent, in Germany from 78 percent to 37 percent, in Morocco from 77 percent to 49 percent, in Indonesia from 75 to 30 percent, in France from 62 to 39 percent, in Turkey from 62 to 12 percent and in Spain from 50 to 23 percent.

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[edit on 20-4-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

Halliburton recently moved their headquarters to ?Dubai, or somewhere
like Bahrain or UAE.
They are the vanguard of the 21st century migration as the base of global economic power is pressed from NY NY & London among other centers.

the strategy, tactic, is to "assimilate"
as the old, beat 'em over the head & squash 'em method no longer works

I think we blew the one easy way out, the day Saddam Hussein was hung by the neck. I think the day we sentenced him to death was the day we sentenced ourselves to big problems in the future. People that never had a gripe with us now have vendetta on their minds. Those thousands of kids left orphaned will be taken in by these fanatical religious groups as family and fed nothing but diatribe of retribution and avenging their dead family members.

It would not surprise me one bit if that memorial to himself that he calls an embassy that GW built in Iraq on top of the ruins of Babylon at a cost of 9bil dollars isn't torn down within a year of our leaving. It should have been obvious since the day he declared "Mission Accomplished" that he and his crew should have been removed from office through impeachment.
The "Freedom to Iraqis" bit was an after-thought due to poor judgement and faulty intelligence. The moment the tune was changed, alarms should have been set off that we were taken for a ride and the Iraqi people were dealt a rotten hand.

Consider this....Monday we as Americans experienced something that was horrific and tragic....we lost 33 of our youngest and brightest citizens to senseless violence at the hands of a suicidal maniac. Needless to say we were all shocked and deeply disturbed by the terrible and violent incident that took place at Va Tech. On that very same day, over 150 Iraqi citizens, most likely regular men, women and children, were killed as a result of multiple vehicle bombings throughout the country. While here in America the Va Tech tragedy made headlines everywhere with 24hr round the clock news coverage and public outcries of support world wide, we barely even heard about the deaths in Iraq. The reason being, that type of violence is rare here and the level of brutality is seldom seen on US soil. Now consider the fact that for an average Iraqi, this type of loss and tragedy happens several times per week. Think for a moment what it must be like to live in a war zone, not knowing day to day if going to the market will get you killed, if a murder squad will come through your neighborhood and butcher your family, if a roadside bomb will blow your children apart as they walk to and from school. Imagine the psychological effect that a life like that must generate, imagine the bitterness amd contempt that would build for these people who suffer this way. Now consider the fact that the reason they have to suffer this type of existence is because our military came in, slaughtered people, overthrew the existing government, and attracted murderers and fundamentalists from miles around to come and use your town as a staging ground for terrorist bombings. As tragic as the Va Tech massacre was, imagine that happening every week here in the US, now imagine that it is being done week in and week out by Iraqi's and because of Iraqi's being here. How would you react? What would your mentallity be? How much hatred and resentment would YOU harbor toward your unwanted visitors? That, my friends, is a reality for every Iraqi woman and child who is suffering as a result of our actions and our occupation of their country. And you honestly believe the next generation of Iraqi men and women will not remember and will not hate us for it? I believe that we have created a ticking time bomb in the middle east that will one day go off in our faces, and the sad part is most of us stood by and ignored the actions of our rogue and corrupt government while they played God with these peoples lives and families in order to stuff their own pockets. Somewhere along the lines, we as Americans have become the tyrants that we have always despised and resisted. I love and support our military and our guys over there doing their jobs, they are the victims in this as well. But the wealthy and priveledged few who are pulling the strings in the name of our country should be tried for war crimes and made to answer for their heinous actions. Bush will go down as the most hated president in US history. It is time to bring our soldiers home to their families and begin to attempt to correct this horrible situation that we have allowed our leadership to create.

Originally posted by BlackOps719
I believe that we have created a ticking time bomb in the middle east that will one day go off in our faces, and the sad part is most of us stood by and ignored the actions of our rogue and corrupt government while they played God with these peoples lives and families in order to stuff their own pockets.

Blackops
Iraq is not the only time-bomb set to go off. Just think about what was the catalyst for all this, the reasoning behind the attack on 9-11. Iraq will be the 2nd ticking time-bomb in the middle east. Iraq is not the only Middle Eastern country to suffer death on an almost daily basis.


Pie

It's clear that all the concerns expressed so far in this thread are genuinely felt and long-considered.

But I feel this game is one in which the growing majority began at least ten paces behind the organisers.

I don't believe Bush is the architect of this situation. In my opinion, he's the equivalent of a ventriloquist's dummy: a chosen patsy, as are Blair and Howard and the other compliant national 'leaders'.

This game was carefully plotted long ago. What we're seeing is merely the fireworks display.

We're watching a global catastrophe playing out before our eyes on the screens in our living rooms. The next moves were also plotted long ago and we'll watch those unfold as well.

I feel it really is a mistake to believe that the invasion and destruction of Iraq was a knee-jerk reaction to 9-11.

Instead, 9-11 was committed as part of a long-ranging plan, part of which was the emotional 'War on Terror' charade leading to the invasion of Iraq.

We think in linear fashion and can't be blamed for believing that events are unfolding day by day. The media encourages that.

But we have to think smarter. We have to learn to connect the dots and hopefully we'll finally get past 'today' and begin to see 'tomorrow' before they lay it on us.

For example: prison compounds reportedly already constructed and staffed in various locations around the US. Who are the planned inhabitants? Why? 'Why' re: the street and other signs which are reportedly written in a variety of foreign languages at various places in teh US? Who are they intended for? When will 'they' arrive?

The Gulf Stream. The mighty Gulf Stream. Did you know that approx. one century ago, there was a plan by the US to divert the Gulf Stream via basically a long sea-wall or pier -- the plan being to redirect the Gulf Stream so that it would benefit US crop-growers?

Do you think the US 'forgot' about the massive potential of a redirected Gulf Stream to create a 'world's garden' in the US, which would then be able to export food (at massive profit) to a Europe then deprived of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream?

The UK would be highly dependent on others to provide it with food, were the Gulf Stream to be redirected. The UK would become a virtual beggar -- possibly an ice-bound beggar.

Have you been watching those small articles about the Gulf Stream's strange behaviour lately? Seeing some dots emerge on that troubled page? Make sense now as to at least a few reasons why the UK has had to 'support' the US's War on Terror?

Seen those articles about Canada and Mexico becoming 'absorbed' within an enlarged US? No doubt tens of thousands of Mexicans have been making their way into the US, is there? And Bush's puppet masters have certainly been making things easy for those Mexicans, who now appear to take priority over the tax-paying US citizens who are paying the costs, financially and otherwise.

Those Mexicans would be happy to work in a Gulf Stream assisted 'world's garden', even if the average US citizen declined to labour in those ever-producing fields.

If/when the US/Israel seize control of the Mid-East, then the rest of the world will be buying their oil from them.

Then there are those small, insignificant articles about Argentina planning to take the Falklands. The Falklands are the UK's base re: protecting their holdings in Antarctica. And Antarctica is playing away behind the scenes, hidden behind 'sensationalistic' headlines like the Imus debacle, etc.

The US and its sucker-fish, Israel, are in lock-step as they move ahead with their plans for domination and Empire.

The others are jostling into position: Pakistan, China, Russia, etc.

The only real 'enemies' are the poor pawns who actually fire the guns at each other and wave their nations' flags at sunset.

The mighty 'leaders' are far more cynical. They make and break 'nations'. They have a whole warehouse filled with new flags -- to be unveiled at the planned juncture. So don't become too attached to your flag because it's just a piece of cloth used to manipulate you into wars that will consume your children as fast as you can grow them.

Bush isn't the problem -- he's just the problem's public face. He's someone playing a role in a movie being screened to distract and confuse you. In the meantime, dour little men sit in luxuriously appointed suites and plan your grandchildren's fates.

When Bush exits the stage, the next actor will appear. And on and on.

All nations have their main actor. And all those world leaders/actors have to read their lines and follow the script that's been written for them. They know that failure to do so will result in their being pulled from that stage. The world leaders work for pay and obey their employers, just like the rest of us. Those they work for are unknown to us: they are so powerful, so obscenely wealthy. They sit above us and regard us as 'noise', as 'things'. We play computer games. They play with this world and its billions of inhabitants as if it were a computer game.

They plan the moves. We watch those moves unfold. It's always been the same, except now there are more of us and now the 'controllers' are unimaginably more powerful than Kings and Emperors were, thanks to our highly developed technology.

In the old-days, it took Hannibal months to travel a thousand miles. Now, current-day world-rulers need not travel an inch to subjugate an entire country via its corrupt and cowardly politicians -- they merely press a button and the Cheyneys and Bushes and Blairs jump to attention.

Two-party government is a myth so see-through, it's a wonder anyone believes they have a 'choice', come election day. It's all one. Choice is an illusion. Get rid of Bush and his clone will emerge from the 'opposing' party. It's the same world wide.

Those who're running this show control us, but they know they can't subdue us all at once. So they settle for enslaving us, subtly, increasingly. We feel the pressure and we accomodate it, losing bits of ourselves and everything we value in the process. Like boiling a frog to death, one degree at a time.

The situation will reverse, sooner or later. That's the natural ebb and flow of these things. But we probably won't be here to see that. We'll end up, collectively, being just a sentence in some future child's history book.





[edit on 20-4-2007 by Dock6]

IMHO, I think it is too late to fix W's *snip*
50% of America has voted in a new order of Facism and they are not gonna let go until it is all over by the shouting.


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[edit on 20-4-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

How to fix things? Shoot, you wont without starting another American civil war or outright launching another American revolution. To fix the nation is to espunge the corporations and the politicians and beurocrats they put in office. Then to overhaul the system and clean house with the laws that are lax on corporations and settup a "0 tolerance" system towards them and politicians. Next you would have to stop importing so much garbage from China and the like, then on the same note bring to life the factories that were shut down. Yet who is going to run them? No one other than the government because things are so messed up right now we have no choice. The next step is to remove all the exports of weapons we have, or anything used or related to weapons technology. This will SERIOUSLY throw some nations into the world into a frothing at the mouth rage now that we will not longer give them missiles to terrorize their people. At the same time we should do something envionmentaly when it comes to war and scrap ALL DU usage. DU being Depleted Uranium for those who do not know that already, radioactive and deadly when it comes to causing mutations.
That is off the top of my head, I am sure we could make a 176+ page report on what we need to do and NOT do quite easily.
Summary: It will take a divine miracle to swing things around without falling into a state of revolution. Corruption has gone SO deep it is truely a nightmare for those who want to fix it.

Originally posted by ThePieMaN
Saddam Hussein ...I think the day we sentenced him to death was the day we sentenced ourselves to big problems in the future.

The IRAQIs sentenced him. Not us.

As for the question - How do we fix 'W's mess .... VOTE and get involved. That's the way America works. If you think G.W. has screwed up America then vote out those who suport him. Get yourself involved with groups and projects that are opposite of what G.W. stand for if you think he's screwed things up.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

The IRAQIs sentenced him. Not us.

I don't remember the Iraqi's making an uprising and capturing him in a foxhole. I thought it was Americans


Pie

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by ThePieMaN
Saddam Hussein ...I think the day we sentenced him to death was the day we sentenced ourselves to big problems in the future.

The IRAQIs sentenced him. Not us.

As for the question - How do we fix 'W's mess .... VOTE and get involved. That's the way America works. If you think G.W. has screwed up America then vote out those who suport him. Get yourself involved with groups and projects that are opposite of what G.W. stand for if you think he's screwed things up.

Too bad it isn't as simple as that. Basically we are forced to choose between one wealthy power hungry liar v/s another. The two party voting system is a hoax, a sham, wheather you vote democrat or republican you are in basically voting for the same people. It seems that both of these "parties" are hell bent on destroying our country and crippling the middle class into a state of modern day slavery. I agree with a lot of what Dock6 has said in his post, we are all so blinded by this absurd rat race and so distracted by all of the propaganda that we are basically lambs waiting to be led to slaughter. I never in my lifetime believed that I would live to see the systematic destruction of our country from within by the very people that we have all elected to protect and represent us. Face it folks, the politicians don't give a rats ass about you or your families well being. They are lining their pockets with blood money and orchestrating the demise of our freedoms on a daily basis. The fact that they are so obviously hell bent on the destruction of our great country is almost insulting. They no longer even attempt to hide this fact, instead the politicians do it right under our noses and basically dare us as American citizens to stand up and do anything about it. If you believe that by voting or participating in grass roots campaigns you are somehow slowing or reversing the evils that are being done against us then you are sadly mistaken. Your vote means NOTHING. Our rights are being taken away one by one, our quality of life and liberty is deteriorating, our great nation is turning into a cess pool and our citizens are less educated and more violent now than probably ever before.

I was mistaken about one thing in my previous statements, the time bomb is not waiting for us in the middle east, instead it is right here in our own back yards. People need to wake up and recognize what is going on around them before it is too late to do anything about it.

THis isn't middle school, Icould careless if the rest of the world likes us or thinks we're cute. We're doing the right thing. I think most of the people nagging and saying Bush lead us into the drain or bs bs this and that are French and cranky.

Originally posted by Vekar
To fix the nation is to espunge the corporations and the politicians and beurocrats they put in office. Then to overhaul the system and clean house with the laws that are lax on corporations and settup a "0 tolerance" system towards them and politicians.....
Summary: It will take a divine miracle to swing things around without falling into a state of revolution. Corruption has gone SO deep it is truely a nightmare for those who want to fix it.

From all accounts the world was warned from 'divine' intervention of the dangers of Marxist anti-religious dogma becoming the hallmark of the propaganda aimed at communist totalitarianism. Thereby creating the illusion that the polarized camp of laissez faire capitalism - a somewhat fascist totalitarianism as the only economic system that supports spiritual freedom.

When the Iraqi's tried Saddam, they tried the American foreign policy that placed him in power. Iraq is only the tip of the iceberg - from the times of Keenan's stated goal of American foreign policy as that of perpetuating the disparity in wealth between other nations and America - There has been a concerted economic impetus towards that end. Wonder why South America is not an ally, they tire of the social genocide, so that fast food restaurants can continue to pump out cheap and convenient meals. The social genocide that perpetuates private ownership of a nation's resources and exports them to the profit of a very few.

The conditions for an IMF loan are:

1.) Eliminate and reduce government controls over imports. Justification: transfer decisions on the use of foreign exchange to the free market. Result: Market is flooded with imports, same phenomena that led to the Boston Tea Party.

2.) Devalue the currency. Justification: Devaluation brings down the price of exports and this allegedly increases exports allowing the debtor to earn the money to pay the debt. Result: Population can't afford imports and everything made in country is exported.

3.) Restrict availability of credit and raise interest rates. Justification: Control inflation. Result: Causes inflation.

4.) Limit or reduce government spending and deficits. (social spending) Justification: Tight money policy. Result: Leads to reduction in services, health care, etc.

5.) Raise Taxes. Justification: Curb purchasing power to fight inflation. Result: Less money circulating within market.

6.) Increase prices of public services. Justification: Increse revenue and reduce public spending. Result: Demoralize the people.

7.) Abolish government subsidies for food and transportation. Justification: Limit government spending. Result: Outlaws trade unions creates starvation.

8.) Control wages. Justification: Control inflation. Result: Suppresses purchasing power.

9.) Eliminate price controls. Justification: Free market policy. Result: Leads to price gouging.

10.) Open country to foreign investment. Justification: Free market economy. Result: Economy is controlled by outside investor's. Loss of National identity and government has no access to own resources.

These conditions essentially denude a nation of it's resources.

So basically, foreign policy establishes military dictatorships that perpetuate impoverished conditions in order to exploit the resources of a nation - then American's are told to send a few teddy bears at Christmas, never mind if they're Muslim, and reassured of their altruistic place in the world. Frankly it wouldn't be so bad, if American's could just admit it and share more openly in the reaping of this subterfuge, but all the simpering won't permit it - it was the so called 'left's' idea of sharing the wealth that greased the wheels for globalism. No amount of patriotism will exclude America from being included in the very conditions that are making very few people wealthier and more powerful than entire nations.

Not simply simpering but a concerted propaganda effort has perpetuated the idea that laissez faire capitalism is the only alternative providing 'freedom' and that any form of government regulation, worker protection or environmental regulation is akin to 'communism'.

The few who are dictating government policy are fully aware of the impact of their propaganda - from a paragraph published in the journal Foreign Affairs by the council on foreign relations in response to Clinton's JFKish inauguration speech:

"In the CNN age, when indelible impressions are instantaneously formed around the world and when wall street and it's foreign counterparts can bring policy makers to their knees overnight "

So the one option that would truly address the growing fascism in American politics is dismissively discarded on account of the 'godlessness' of communism. So all the people who died in order for workers to earn a living wage in America have been forgotten because unions are 'bad for business.'

Not as bad as the transformation of a manufacturing economy to one of primarily exporting raw resource - You can't feed a family on a McDonald's job - even if the meals are half price for employees.

The full paragraph:

"The task is much more complicated and difficult than Clinton makes it out. First the president has not prepared the nation for the sacrifices that lie ahead if America's trajectory is to turn upward.
Second, he has yet to explain the complex obstacles to restarting the American economy when there is a recession in Japan and Europe.
Third, he has yet to confront the delicate problem of pleasing powerful financial markets which are all too ready to unleash their fury at the administration's first fiscal misstep.
Now that the election is over the new president will have to move quickly to deliver the tough message and make agonizing decisions. In the CNN age, when indelible impressions are instantaneously formed around the world and when wall street and it's foreign counterparts can bring policy makers to their knees overnight Clinton's first hundred days are not just an opportunity to unfold a new agenda, rather they just as equally present a mine field that could blow up and damage his administration for the next four years.
Clinton's immediate priorities should be both offensive and defensive and defined in terms that are crystal clear and that reduce the cancerous budget deficit."

The cancerous deficit budget refers to social spending, which is happily justified as cut by the massive debt incurred in Iraq - that incidentally has reaped great profits for Halliburton.

Norwegians have a working democratic socialist government, that has refused to trade with Walmart because of the damage it causes to the erosion of worker rights and fair trade policies. They are not often called communists - but they are probably holding their breath while they watch America's foreign policy benefit fewer and fewer people.

We certainly do have an enemy in the totalitarianist and intolerant jihadist - but there is even some evidence that Nazi's imported to the states after WWII were instrumental in building that militant Muslim stance - perhaps for the benefit of installing dictators.

It appears American's are the last to know.

In addition, the irrationality of promoting some kind of all powerful conspiracy or alien/cult collusion behind the whole mess is somehow more tolerated than facing the economic and political issues squarely.

Diversionary and expertly played.

As goes Russia, goes the rest of the world. Putin's strong arm tactics are the only thing standing between their electoral government and criminal elements unabashedly running the entire show.

[edit on 21-4-2007 by clearwater]

Well we certainly can't fix this so-called mess by throwing in the towel and cutting off funds to the troops. You haven't seen a mess until that happens. But I'm sure once it does, and MILLIONS of people are killed, they will try to blame that on Bush also.

You liberals think you are so open-minded, but all you are doing is parroting the media talking points.

Newsweek thinks the war is going badly? What a freaking surprise! When was the last time Newsweek printed a story about any of the many good things going on in Iraq?

Originally posted by RRconservative
Well we certainly can't fix this so-called mess by throwing in the towel and cutting off funds to the troops. You haven't seen a mess until that happens. But I'm sure once it does, and MILLIONS of people are killed, they will try to blame that on Bush also.

You liberals think you are so open-minded, but all you are doing is parroting the media talking points.

Newsweek thinks the war is going badly? What a freaking surprise! When was the last time Newsweek printed a story about any of the many good things going on in Iraq?

Funds to the troops? Is that what you say the current administration is so worried about? Where have you been the past several years? I realize that you are blinded by your affection for Bush and Co that you fail to see the flaws but where were you when the troops had to have family and friend send them Body armor, where were you when they were taking scrap metal and welding the metal to the humvees? The troops?! Your buddies in government cut funds to the VA! At the same time Billions went to private Corporations like Blackwater and Haliburton, and even more Billions disappeared thru theft and misappropriation! LOL The troops. Yeah right.

Yes we should blame Bush, he is the Commander-in Chief and he admitted that it was a mistake. It surely wasn't the troops mistake, and it wasn't ours, it was HIS judgement and those HE appointed to consult him. They lied and fed us false info.

You Conservatives walk around with your rose colored glasses, bumping your heads and noses into trees and poles, walking around bruised and battered as you consistantly support those that continually take advantage of you. For the life of me, I cannot see how people walk around blindly in such a way, unless there are ulterior motives such as your investments or whatnot, but you really need to wake the hell up and open your eyes.

There is nothing America can do to fix this mess. The "blowback" that will result from the actions taken at the beginning of this decade will be felt for many decades to come. The only viable solution to end the American crisis would be a withdrawal from the middle east. Since that is as likely as Bush learning to read, America will only have to wait for the next move.

posted by clearwater

As goes Russia, so goes the rest of the world. Putin's strong arm tactics are the only thing standing between their electoral government and criminal elements unabashedly running the entire show. [Edit by Don W]

Yes, but who will replace Putin? Like him or not, he is the only "stong" man on the scene with Western ties.

But see this: Concise. Comprehensive. Compelling. These words are descriptive of the book on Iran and America. Beginning with the advent of Zoroastrianism and the much later melding of that faith with the new Arab faith of the Holy Prophet, Islam, we have the origins of Shia explained. The author quickly runs down the millennia of time to the British inspired American coup of 1953, which still forms the basis of Anglo-Iranian Relations. Or NON relations in 2007. You may not like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad better but after this read, you will understand when he is coming from. Read “All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror” by Stephen Kinzer. 2003.