scout

This really needs to be a whole other thread so this is my last post on this matter in this thread but I will gladly discuss it in another thread. If you had argued there was a time when most of the dictators there had been "installed" by America then it would be non-argueable. However, there is none left that was "installed" by America. The Shah of Iran hasn't been in power there since the 70's, the monster we created with Saddam Hussein is no longer there. The Royal Saudi family wasn't installed by the US, nor the Iranian leaders. Syria promotes terrorism against us, no way did we "install" them. Jordan, while putting on a good face, stabs us in the back every chance they get, as do the Saudis. We didn't install any leaders in Egypt, or Libya. Turkey has somewhat of a democratic government, so their leaders are voted upon. Isreal is also a democratic government. So conclusively your statement about our "installing" many of their dictators is wrong. Your statement about our money buying their oil keeps them in power is true and I agree 100%. However, this is a religious war to them, they don't hate us for our money, but the tremendous sin we bring to the world. We are the "Great Satan". You think the conservative right here is whacked, they are far left compared to most of these terrorist groups. This is one of the many reasons why pouring more money into the region would be a tee-total waste. We already pour billions into the region every year with oil revenues and foriegn aid, and ultimately it's used against us to further their causes.