1. I like the British, but have never had an urge to visit there because I keep having visions of a freezing hotel room with insufficient heat to keep it warm and lousy food.

That having been said, what struck me immediately was the comment "its been difficult dealing with a right wing Republican in the White House." I think 98% of the citizens of the world agree, and certainly about 70% agree in the US.

My confusion is that I already thought the British had an exit strategy geared to the end of the year. Also, I notice that the Labour party candidates seem to have a mix of both Republican and Democratic ideas about Iraq. As you know, our two parties have are unified in having radically divergent ideas on Iraq between the two parties. In other words, our two party system offers America at the moment two national visions.

Britain has been the only European country to recognize the sacrifice that my father and so many of our senior citizens made to free them from the Nazi threat and preemptive wars. I think there is a lesson here: why is America still adhering to the outdated idea that it is OUR responsibility to take care of Europe militarily or economically, or for that matter most other countries. Sweden, for example, is a member of the European Union; benefits from NATO; but contributes nothing to NATO and is not a member.

Here in the US we do not have our own house in order. True homeland security has bever been implemented and our borders and ports remain barely protected. 47 million are uninsured, and our students are not guaranteed a free college education (if they meet the academic standards), as we fall deeply behind other countries in technological expertise. We are IMPORTING highly educated skilled members of our labor force from overseas, when the opposite should be true. All of our good manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to other countries; and the dream of world peace through globalization has turned into a nightmare of fierce war and a gutted economy. Until we get our jobs back and take care of our own citizens, I do not believe we have any business spending a HUGE portion of our national budget on foreign wars and aid (retaliatory and ruthless strikes against countries who have REALLY sponsored a terrorist act against the US excepted.)

The British and Americans also still have a presumptuous attitude that we have a world mission to recreate the entire world in our political image. I cringe everytime Bush visits a country and comments critically on THEIR domestic affairs during the visit. We are NOT the world's morality police, especially now when the morals of our own government are so glaringly deficient. If you don't believe me, visit the downtowns of almost any major city and you sill see homeless wheelchair bound citizens who oare condemned to a miserable life and early death.

While I believe we need to get back to a fairly strong policy of isolationism when it comes to military, economic and political matters, I would vouch for INCREASED participation in sharing the best parts of the cultures of the rest of the world.

Phil at 9:22AM on Jun 1st 2007