Thanks, Larry, for your cogent and accurate analysis. France operations, of course, derive from it independent DeGaulle force frappe, unwilling to believe the US umbrella would would cover it in the event of a Soviet attack.

There's no question that the US has been doing the heavy lifting, and the pity is that seeming aberrations in foreign policy has diminished its enormous contributions to the world. Canada-US disagreement on the Afghanistan poppy fields is not helping our or NATO operations there.

My own notion about all this is that conditions are right for the UN to get down to real business, separate the warring factions in Iraq, find a practical solution to governance of the country (or new countries) and say to a chastened US, "We owe you---but no more going it alone."

As you know, our troops aren't peacekeepers. They're as good as any professional fighting force in the world---small in numbers as is our country but well-trained and willing to fight. If the West gets its political interests aligned properly there should be little fear of Islam terrorists.

Thanks for your post.