But I have some guesses. Iraq seems to have some real heavy duty demonic forces connected with it through the ages--and certainly driving Saddam. Certainly God is set against Saddam and his tyranny; his hostility to Israel and his hostility and evil violence to his own peoples not to mention the region and the world.
There's even the possibility that God is determined to USE THE U.S. to deal somewhat with Iraq forcefully--AND USE OUR INVOLVING OUR ARROGANCE IN HOW WE GO ABOUT THAT to also teach us some humility and a return to dependence on and loyalty to The Only Almighty God. God is certainly big enough to do multiple things with one situation.
And God is certainly capable of having things happen just they way He wants them to regardless of what anyone may try to do to thwart God's plans.
Since Israel is also in violation of certain UN resolutions, it is quite possible that what you percieve as 'bending over', is merely an attempt to get Israel to refrain, ONLY because the more the Pali's murder, the worse they look. And will help to bring others to Israel's aid when the time comes. Now, when is that time? When we are finally ready to deal with the Pali's once and for all.
They want a nation. Fine. But, they want Jerusalem, too. Guess what, they won't get it, and the bill signed by Bush helps to make certain of that!
Even if the Pali's had their own nation, does anyone seriously believe that they will cease their attacks on Israel? Highly unlikely. So, then what? Right back to square one, and this has to be anticipated before even giving them their nation. No one likes the idea of actually wiping another group of people off the face of the earth, but it just may come to that, because the Pali's aren't going to be appeased by ANY settlement.
The war on terror only makes the issue more tricky. The arabs are already trying to make the world think that the US is arabphobic, to deal with the Pali's appropriately would only enforce this notion. We have to act carefully. The Israel/Pali conflict may have to wait until all the other areas you mentioned are sorted out.
Unlike you, seeing the glass as half empty, I see it as half full, and I DO think that we will go into the very areas that you mentioned. BUT, we will go in because we were asked, not because we had to storm our way in. Russia has its problems, and I think Putin will ask for our assistance in ridding Russia of their vermin. And I think other countries will follow suit. And yeah, even China may decide they want help. But even if they don't want our help, they may at least want to know that we would support them verbally if they chose to go after their own vermon on their own.
Diplomacy and tact takes TIME and isn't achieved overnight.
Bush is certainly more God fearing than his predecessor, so I won't slam him in this area like you.
We give foreign aid to many, many nations, quite a few that I personally would tell to go suck an egg. But, no we try to help them anyway, even when they clearly show themselves to be anti-American. What other nation is so giving that way? To our detriment I fear, but no we are not the big bad bogey man you and others of your ilk would like to portray us as.
So, tell me, what other nation does MORE? I can hardly wait to see what country you name.