The point of NATO is to be a defensive alliance; that is, an attack
on one NATO state counts as an attack against all.


Agreed, but in todays asymetrical warfare enviornment, the attack may come from
well outside NATO's area of responsibility in the form of terrorists, which
would require a decidedly offensive type counter attack. NATO knows this to be
true as the prepare for "NATO out of area operations", the title in and of
itself explains that military force will be applied outside of Europe. If a
certain country, with a single vote can veto any such operation, NATO becomes
useless except in the nearly impossible event that Russian forces try to
advance into western Europe through the Fulda Gap.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"