Cristobo,

There is no way American business interests will recoup the losses we had in fighting the war in Iraq, or for the investments we will make, to bring them back on their feet, with a democratic government. Also, those of us here in the U.S. will be watching the scenario play out very closely, to insure this doesn't become a "venture for profit" for a select few. Even the majority of us who supported the effort in Iraq won't stand for it. Too many brave young people have died for a cause, and we won't let their memory be tainted by what follows.

It's sad that France, Germany, and Russia have taken the stance they have, because they have pretty well caused the collapse of the UN. It's no longer a viable force, and the "in-fighting" that would occur if these three nations were involved in rebuilding Iraq would make the project grind to a halt. At this point, they may as well offer their facilities in NYC for sale, because they have no future in the world. Even the N. Koreans, Chinese, and Iranians have indicated that their ability to be a broker for peace is totally gone.

I give the UK a lot of credit for trying to do the right thing by the UN, from a world point of view, but the posturing by the French, Germans, and Russians continues, and there's no way we, as Americans, will allow their sorry arses into Iraq to do anything beyond humanitarian aid. They've sealed their own fate, and I hope the new alliances that come throughout the world will be stronger, and afford more protection for the righteous people of the world, and take despots to task for their actions.

As for the firing on the Palestine hotel, there is an investigation on-going. If our military sees there was a violation of the Geneva accords, rest assured, we won't try to hide it. At this point there's a lot of conflicting information about what happened, and according to some sources, the actual firing on the hotel may not have been by Americans, but Fedayeen, with the intent of creating another incident. Even though I feel that's not a fact, it's a possibility. Before we "jump on the bandwagon" to hang some American GIs for something they did, a full investigation must be completed. Then, when the facts are on the table, we can determine what actually happened.

Wolf