Pape: Clue for Bush and the 'why do they hate us' crowd: "In writing my book on suicide attackers, I had researchers scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and the biographies of the Hezbollah bombers. Of the 41, we identified the names, birth places and other personal data for 38. Shockingly, only eight were Islamic fundamentalists. Twenty-seven were from leftist political groups like the Lebanese Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Union. Three were Christians, including a female high-school teacher with a college degree. All were born in Lebanon.

"What these suicide attackers — and their heirs today — shared was not a religious or political ideology but simply a commitment to resisting a foreign occupation. Nearly two decades of Israeli military presence did not root out Hezbollah. The only thing that has proven to end suicide attacks, in Lebanon and elsewhere, is withdrawal by the occupying force."

Why do they hate us? The dumbest question from the dumbest President ever. They are resisting occupation and foreign oppression. This is also another clue for PM Howard who appeared genuinely surprised and angered at a suggestion that Hizbullah be delisted as a terrorist organisation: it is an indigenous resistance movement. You might do the same if it was your country, little johnny.

Pape: Clue for Bush and the 'why do they hate us' crowd: "In writing my book on suicide attackers, I had researchers scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and the biographies of the Hezbollah bombers. Of the 41, we identified the names, birth places and other personal data for 38. Shockingly, only eight were Islamic fundamentalists. Twenty-seven were from leftist political groups like the Lebanese Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Union. Three were Christians, including a female high-school teacher with a college degree. All were born in Lebanon.

"What these suicide attackers — and their heirs today — shared was not a religious or political ideology but simply a commitment to resisting a foreign occupation. Nearly two decades of Israeli military presence did not root out Hezbollah. The only thing that has proven to end suicide attacks, in Lebanon and elsewhere, is withdrawal by the occupying force."

Why do they hate us? The dumbest question from the dumbest President ever. They are resisting occupation and foreign oppression. This is also another clue for PM Howard who appeared genuinely surprised and angered at a suggestion that Hizbullah be delisted as a terrorist organisation: it is an indigenous resistance movement. You might do the same if it was your country, little johnny.