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Yeah, but the thing is this idelology isn't just in those two cities. It is just that those two cities are main instances of violent armed terror. But terror has been happening all over Iraq, in Baghdad, Basra. The US must target the ideology. It isn't just about a person or a group, it is about what is driving them to hate us.

That is why I said that the Pakistani and Saudia Arabian regimes, if for no other reason than their own self preservation, have to be brought to the point where they are persuaded to target their own radical mullahs.

You are not born a radical Muslim. You have to be carefully taught. Target the teachers and you target the problem. Israel has been pursuing that policy lately in the case of Hamas.

In the case of Iran, military aid and training to the young Iranians who have spent their entire lives chaffing under mullah rule would adress that particular rat's nest.

The problem is Bush is fighting two or three different wars. The first war is for those believers that still think that Saddaam is responsible for 9/11 and that there are WMD's in Iraq even if they are covered with a hundred feet of sand. Naturally this side wants every Iraqi slaughtered if it takes this to rid Iraq of WMD's. The second war Bush is fighting to please are the individuals that are taken with his efforts to democratize the world. Their wishes consist of wanting Bush to establish security quickly even if it takes a few lives and quickly mnove onto Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, etc.

The third war Bush is fighting involves the Iraqis themselves who believed that freedom was promised and would be delivered. They have become disenchanted with the CPA as a puppet authority, the sovereignty that is not sovereign, and the news that permanent military bases will be built and troops manning them years into the future. On top of trying to please these different and varied factions, Bush has a general election to try to win against an egocentric opponent that in the past has promised everything and delivered nothing but more taxes. Bush has my deepest sympathy as he tries to work through these minefields.