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Heck, you could trace back it Muhammand, but the current militancy we are fighting has its roots in the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, though it drew support, money, and soldiers from radical madrassahs from all over the ME...especially in Egypt (Egyptian brotherhood) and Saudi Arabia. The Checheyan War and the Kosovo War and the role Al Qaida played there only strengthened its belief that it could defeat the West.

No, I hope I did not suggest that Iraq would learn bi-partisanship in a couple of years. That is why I said that the US must continue to nuture the Iraqi democracy.

I am going to disagree with you on the GWB failing. I don't think that he insisted it look like American democracy. I think he has said on several occasions that it will look like Iraqi democracy.

If democracy is going to work in the ME it has to include, Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd and somehow these three groups are going to learn how to work our their differences besides with bloodshed. If they won't, then the whole place will dissolve into Civil War. The fear that the sectarian violence is the prelude to that is very real.

I know that you are aware of it, but this war is being fought Islam to West, Sunni to Sunni, Sunni to Shi'a, Conservative to Apostate (depending on who is doing the defining) Fear to Fear, Jihad against Political Correctness.

Now, I have read posts that suggest that the Muslims are too stupid to be democracized, too violent, too unwilling to change, too this and too that.

They do not believe that about themselves. They believe they can govern themselves in peace if the Coalition will help them get on their feet.

That is not a bad hope or a bad goal. And even though mistakes have been made (in war this happens) it is a goal that the West must fight to achieve.

I have truly enjoyed your posts and just wanted to say thank you and welcome to FR.

Agree that we need to spend enough time to get them off the ground, and that they can self govern in their own way.

Comment about GWB failing has to do with perception, not anything he believed or said. Only that he/they didn't stop popular opinion from desiring or expecting a one or two year flip.