<HTML> <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> From: "Ian Murray" <seamus2001@attbi.com> </BLOCKQUOTE> Emperor George <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> Jonathan Freedland Wednesday April 2, 2003 The Guardian -clip- Not for it the Greek, Roman or British path. For most of the last century, the US steered well clear of the institutions of formal empire (the Philipines was a lamentable exception). </BLOCKQUOTE> ^^^^^^ CB: Oops What about that the entire continent was taken in war and occupation from the Indigenous nations ? what about the war on Mexico to take Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado (?) ? The whole "homeland" is one big empire of manifest destiny. ^^^^^ Jacksonians, meanwhile, have always defined America's interests narrowly: they would see no logic in travelling halfway across the world to invade a country that poses no immediate, direct threat to the US. So Bush has defied Andrew Jackson ^^^^^ CB: Yea , Jackson didn't go anywhere across the world. He slaughtered Indians right at their homes, where he was a usurper, occupier, imperialist. ^^^^^^ Which brings us to a key un-American activity by this Bush administration. Today's Washington has not only broken from the different strands of wisdom which guided the US since its birth, but also from the model that shaped American foreign policy since 1945. It's easy to forget this now, ^^^^^^ CB: I wish all this was true, 'cause he's arguing against the war. But he has "easily" forgotten Korea, Viet Nam, Guatemala, Domincan Republic, Panama, Grenada, Yugoslavia.... ^^^^^ <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> . </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>