Bush,A smashing London performance?

I totally agree. When Bush goes on and on about "freedom" he means freedom of economic predation for American corporations. As early as September Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority announced Order 39 which abolished the Iraqi ban on foreign investment of non-real property. It allows fully one hundred percent foreign ownership of non-real property. Real property is leasable for up to forty years.

Iraq had previously forbidden foreign ownership of real property, and the investment in, and establishment of companies in Iraq by foreigners who are not resident citizens of Arab countries.

Yes to both Infra and Kitchenpete.

I had a discussion with a friend yesterday concerning our concerns about recent misbehavior by mutual fund managers, and she suggested that this kind of activity is a good example of capitalism run amok. The profit motive becomes so important that ethics and honesty become irrelevant.

So, at the same time that the US purports to be bringing freedom to the Iraqis, our own version of freedom--the freedom to make a lot of money--becomes more tarnished at home. Sad...