COMMENTARY - Okay, so everybody hates us. Let's just bomb them already.

Alright, fine, I'll succumb to peer pressure and follow the popular trend of jabbering about war. In fact, I will dedicate the remainder of this week to it. This will be the Official Warped Core War Whining Week. Hopefully by the end of this week you'll see how silly this all is, and find something better to do with your time than fret away your life over all this nonsense you hear from other people babbling on this subject. You probably think I'm crazy, uncaring, or even unpatriotic, but this is hardly so. Quite the opposite, in fact. Well, perhaps with exception to the crazy bit. But anyways, stick with me the rest of the week and see why I believe that the vast majority of Americans really have absolutely nothing to worry about. Today's topic is, well, just read the title. I found this great article on MSNBC.com titled "The Arrogant Empire". I know, it's a really long read (comparatively speaking, to your average web news article), but definitely worth the time. For those of you too lazy to read it, I'll be discussing the highlights and including my own interpretation with the remainder of this post. The article really discusses not Iraq, but America. The whole business with Iraq has really been merely a catalyst for the inevitable. History has shown that every time a major power has emerged, suspicion and mistrust of that power would soon arise and there would be a banding together of the lesser powers to topple the greater, in order to even the playing field. Much like a bunch of lobsters in a tank, they keep pulling each other down so nobody makes it too near the top. The only reason America has stood unopposed for so long is that every president since the Cold War era has taken great care to maintain strong foreign relations. By showing concern and offering aid to other countries, we showed the world that our strength was to their own benefit, and not a cause for fear and mistrust. This all changed the moment Bush stepped into office. Since then, America has given off nothing but an air of arrogance, demonstrating to the rest of the world that we don't need them, while they still need us. Other countries have met this egotism with feelings ranging from resentment to outrage, yet none dare take action against America for it's conceit. For after the September 11th terrorist attack, the rest of the world watched in awe and horror as a sleeping dragon awoke and lashed back, effortlessly crushing an entire country on the opposite end of the globe in a mere matter of months. The world had let America go unchallenged for so long that our lead, in terms of both economy and military, is so far ahead of any other nation as to seem insurmountable. While America may be able to rule the world like this now, bullying other countries, making demands, and taking what we want, history has shown that this approach will inevitably fail us in the end. The rest of the world will eventually band together and take the war home to America, and once again even the playing field. Yet hope is not lost for us, even now as the world opposes our imminent war with Iraq. In the coming weeks, we will forcefully uncover the dark secrets hidden within Iraq and expose Saddam for the threat he really is, and the rest of the world will have no choice but to admit we were right. Many will undoubtedly still disagree with out methods, but there will also be a growing voice against the inaction of the U.N. and it's inability to come to a resolution or even accurately identify this threat. This will hopefully result in a reshaping of the U.N. to take a more proactive stance in global affairs moving forward. But America will need to regain the trust of the world, now that they have seen the true power our country possesses. Aiding in building a new Iraq in the wake of our extermination effort would be a good start. Kicking Bush out of office and electing a new president who will once more pick up a stance of interest and concern in foreign affairs is also definitely a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen, as again history has shown that presidents that have led our country in times of war typically get reelected. It is true that a president lacking the assertiveness of Bush would likely still be waiting on the U.N., and may not have taken any action against Iraq until it was too late. For this scenario, Bush was the right man for the job. His pit bull tenacity will get the job done, with or without the support of the rest of the world. But once this crisis is over, will he be able to step back down graciously, make his apologies to the nations he has offended, and rebuild relations with the rest of the world? I fear the consequences if he proves incapable of doing as much. The fear, anger, and resentment towards the U.S. will only escalate to a catastrophic end. ***Readers that are too lazy to even read this whole article, start here*** To summarize, the war on Iraq will prove America right. Weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq. A glaring flaw in the procedures of the United Nations will be exposed for it's inability to manage the incident itself, invoking fundamental changes in its organization. We will remove Saddam from power and eliminate any threat from Iraq. America will then once more work with the U.N. instead of against it, we will begin rebuilding foreign relations and peace will be restored, until King George decides to do something else stupid. So as you can see, despite outward appearances, matters are pretty well in hand, and the conflict will smooth over with relative rapidity. But you are left with the power to ensure an incident of this nature isn't repeated. While I forecast clear skies past the storms in Iraq, the world will not put up with Bush's bashing for too much longer, if he cannot change his ways. While his tactics have been well suited for a conflict with the likes of Saddam, the rest of the world does not appreciate being treated with the same contempt and lack of respect. So when the next presidential election comes along, give old George the boot and vote for a new president with at least some interest in foreign affairs. And if you live in Florida, make sure to mark your vote clearly, and be certain any pets you have registered to vote are instructed to mark their ballots accordingly as well.