Irish, Customarily, discussions involve two or more people. Very few people think identically. The purpose of political discourse is to explore what is practical, not perfection. While you and I seem to share similar opinions about the appropriate techniques to address “the Iraq problem”, I feel that you are giving too short shrift to the value of persuasion.

If you feel that all you can do is express your onions and then see no sense in replying to other points of view, you would seem to have reduced discourse to the level of dictates. The ancient Greeks modeled their academies around the principles of Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis. Surely you don’t hold the position that your opinion cannot be improved upon?

Add to the potential of leaving a conversation with more than you arrived with (attractive in and of itself) the decidedly attractive possibilities of jennaflower's postings, and I'd say you have a persuasive - if not convincing - case for staying with the thread.

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Eudaimonia