Reb, I never specified how little or much the US helped in WWII. There is always arrogance when you reply, just like with that other idiot American RAIN. Cut it out mate.
What has politics got to do with Vietnam? They were not a threat to the US, but the US had to stick their nose in thinking that their way was the only way. Like Germany after WWII, you should have been sanctioned and had you military rights removed by NATO. Vietnam still hasn't recovered from the US chemistry laboratories there. I travelled from Saigon to Hanoi, and every area I stopped at had both human and agricultural vicitms from the various chemical agents dropped on them. Some areas such as Hamburger Hill are still so toxic that people are unable to even come in contact with the area. Today people still have disabled kids because of Agent Orange and co, and people are still dying from unexploded ordanence. Read your history books about the the US efforts in neighbouring Laos - of course not much is said, as the US pay them a lot of money towards the clean up on the condition that they are quiet, but go there and see what the Americans left behind.
The same is true for Iraq. Before Bush senior the US armed Saddam and taught him how to use chemicals. They also told Saddam that they would not interfere with any military action towards Kuwait, and this is documented by the US. When they invaded, the US backtracked, and penalised Saddam for doing what the US taught him to do. They then left his country to rot, before Bush junior came into power. With no education or welfare policies at home, unemployment and inflation rising and his ratings falling, he rode the war on terror as an excuse for attacking Iraq again. His excuses were WMDs and Al Qaeda - neither of which were operational in Iraq. His achievements have been to destabilise Iraq and start a civil war - more innocent people have died from US bombs and insurgency since the US invasion than in the previous decade. What the US didn't care about was the feudal system between the various groups in Iraq, kept in place only by fear of the leader. It's okay though, all Bush's corporate friends got rich (whilst the rest of the country suffers financially).
Two things in common between Vietnam and Iraq II - the US pre-emptively invaded the countries to force their own doctrine on people who believed in different things. Although this doesn't necessarily reflect on US people, it does show that your government is one of the largest threats to world peace. Maybe Reb if less people like yourself supported these barbaric and unprovoked acts of war, then maybe your country would be more respected. The idea of Nato, the UN and various other international treaties and organisations is peace - achieved by amassing various thoughts to prevent one country dictating war policy to the rest of the world. It fails because the US are able to control these organisations, imposing their ideals even when the majority of others disagree.
The US have achieved a lot, and in ways I am proud that they are allies of us Brits. However, for as long as people like Bush and those who support him carry on disregarding the rest of the world, it's hard for me and many others to unconditionally open our arms to the USA.