You are also forgetting that the republicans held the 2004 convention in New York. I remember the video they ran before Bush came on to speak. It had still pictures from 9/11, and a VoiceOver by a little girl who expressed her view that “the president only wants to keep me safe” ending with a photo of Bush hugging her. I was at work at the time and got into trouble for raging at the tv screen at what had to be one of the most cynically exploitative images I had ever seen until then for a political campaign.

I also remember lots of right wing americans calling me a terrorist sympathiser for questioning their march to illegal war.

BTW it may be an idea to read up on Markos “Screw Them” Moulitsas.

He’s a veteran of the US Armed services who was born and grew up in El Salvador. His comment was aimed not at the brave service people who joined the military out of a sense of patriotism but at the highly paid mercenaries who earn at least twice the amount as the actual military do and who caused the battle of Fallujah to happen. He has no regard or respect for mercenaries (even with the name change to “contractors”) especially having seen the results of their actions while growing up in Central America. If you had his experiences it would cloud or at least change your view of mercenaries too (it’s part if that pesky “empathy” thing that a lot of right wingers sneer at).