Beautiful. Youse guys are definitely the scalpel in the warblogger's tool kit of argumentation.

In the words of the immortal Mick Jagger:
"Let It Bleed".

You can't see him, but there's a huge US rottweiller BEHIND Hussein.....

I disagree with the characterization that the Axis of Weasels is blind. They know exactly what they are doing. They see this as their great chance to stick it to the USA and even weaken us to the point of inaction.

There is an element of blindness I suppose, that Saddam is not a world threat, or at least a dominoe in a line of world threats, and these three seem to think that the terrorists will leave them alone, but I really do not think that blindness is driving their policy.

When has France been able to cause us so much trouble? They are envious and fearful of our power (all three of them) and they will do anything short of going to war against us to erode that power.

I myopic and shortsighted view yes, but blindness not at all.

J. Lichty ... I agree with what you're saying about the Axis of Weasel's primary motives being fear, envy and anti-Americanism. They are not blind in that sense. They are culpable.

The most we were trying to get across here was that they are blinded to the threat of Saddam by their reality-detached ideals of diplomacy (not unlike France was with the Nazis). As much as they want to stick it to America, I think they also truly believe that Saddam can be "contained" without force. In that sense, they are blind.

Allen: there is no way they could be blind to the general threat of Saddam. As I stated the extent of their blindness is that they do not see Saddam as a threat to them, because they are his allies and benefactor.

Their blindness reminds me of the old story about the man who saves a snake from a trap. Once freed, the snake bites his savior. The savior incredulously looks at the snake and says "but I saved you." The snake says, "yes, but I am a snake, it is my nature to bite you."

France and Germany will continue to suffer terrorist attacks despite their coddling to Islamofascists, and therein lies their blindness. However they know Saddam is a threat to us and in a wonderful bout of schadenfruede they will do anything subtle to bring that about.

These weasels believe that dead Americans are the just fruit of our own arrogant harvest. They did not weep for us on 9/11 and would love to see another one because it hurts us so much.

It reminds me a little of rooting against a football team you don't like, even when their victory would improve your team in the standings.