"Today, however, things in Iraq look quite different.
To start with, Tehran's complicated game of dominating Iraq has been exposed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops' attempt at seizing control of Basra after the British withdrawal have met with strong Iraqi resistance while Tehran's bare-face threats have failed to terrorise the Najaf clergy into acquiescence. Even such close allies of the Islamic Republic as Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr have realised that the, for a majority of the Iraqis, the concept of "uruqua" (Iraqi-ness) is stronger than that of Shi'ism. The unity shown by politicians and intellectuals from all shades of the religious, ideological and political spectrum in rejecting the American lobby's plot to divide Iraq, has reminded everyone that, when all is said and done, the overwhelming majority of Iraqis, do not wish to dismantle their state."
"He said he fears that global terrorism is not abating and could take a generation to defeat because its roots are deep. And he said his one main regret was that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he'd not done more to prepare his country for a long-haul fight....
"We should understand that if we give up in Iraq, then we'll be under increasing pressure in Afghanistan. And if we give up in Afghanistan, then we'll be under increasing pressure elsewhere in the region."
"Check your wallets and your freedom at the door. For this is the old line used by environmental extremists of all types: Things are so bad we can no longer put off what must be done. Of course, you'll have to give up some income and freedom — and maybe even your right to bear children — but, hey, the environment's at stake.
Excuse us, but this seems like another attempt to foist centralized, global control over the prosperous, dynamic and fast-growing economies of the world — an attempt to shake us down and radically alter Western lifestyles, to get us out of our deluxe cars and designer clothes and onto bicycles and into bearskins."