OT: World Trade crash...

I think the point he was trying to make regarding reckoning is that America's foreign policy doesn't take into account (or does a poor job of doing so) the reactions of various peoples who think of themselves as disaffected. So, our nation throws it weight around long enough, and eventually, push comes to shove. I had expected something like this for a long time; the recent economic good-times had lulled me into a false sense of security (things are great all over, no?)... It's not about whether they are justfied (in reality) or not, but how they feel about their situation. They feel put-upon, and they hold us partly (w/r/t Palestinians) or totally (Iraq) to blame. Should we therefore have a foreign policy that is doomed to forever "walk on eggshells"? No; but status quo clearly isn't working. -dq