Whose oil is the "Iraqi" oil anyway? I worry a little about Saudi Arabia ...

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, opening a summit meeting of Arab leaders here yesterday, called the US military presence in Iraq "illegitimate" and warned that sectarianism could lead to all-out civil war.

He went on with the following: "In beloved Iraq, blood flows between brothers in the shadow of illegitimate foreign occupation and hateful sectarianism, threatening a civil war"

Admittedly, Saudi Arabia has sided with us as regards Iran's nuclear ambitions, but their concerns about Iraq can be spelled in two words:

(1) oil

and

(2) oil

But, besides realizing that the Saudis aren't going to stand aside and let the Shi'ite majority in Iraq grab the oil back from the Sunni minority there, I think that the Bush family is also going to soon (but drowsily) wake up to realizing exactly what country has had close relations with Al-Qaeda from about Al-Qaeda's birth.

Just ask yourself, "where was bin Laden born?" ... or ... "where were 15 of the 19 9-11 hijackers born?"

And then ask, "Are the Saudis Sunni or Shiite?"

Yup!

Having lived in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for almost a decade, I've had almost no doubt as to where this whole adventure that Mr. Bush has taken us on would end.

He should at least have read what his father thought about ultimately occupying Iraq!

Pat Tillman is a geniune American Hero ... let him rest in peace already!

When a young American dies in combat, it matters not whether his or her death is a courageous assault on a dastardly enemy, an accident, a result of friendly fire or even a suicide. And when a fine young man like Corporal Tillman gives up a promising athletic career worth millions of dollar's to support his country in a time of need, his death is both tragic and the material from which legends are made.

Please, those of you on the right or the left, Democrats and Republicans ... let his death not equate to political squabbling or searching for blame. It only does his death a dishonor. And that goes for his grieving parents too. Be proud of your son's willingness to sacrifice his all for his and our country!

I'm proud to be a fellow American with Pat Tillman and do not need further repercussions of his death nor jailed generals (or others in or out of uniform) to strengthen my pride.

Thank you, Pat!

Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" doesn't hold a candle to "A Convenient Lie" ... or even the truth ...

... if it can fuel enough sympathy for war ...


As far back as February 15, 1898, we needed something to provoke us to war. The sinking of the Battleship Maine allowed us to declare war on Spain ... and her possessions closer to home ...


The sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 was more of a "useful event" than an "inconvenient truth"

And although this was as much an "inconvenient truth" as it was a likely consequence of our activities in Asia (and the careful "handling" of intelligence prior to the attack) ... World War II was surely a necessary horror for us all ... but as for the events that led to December 7, 1941 in Honolulu, Hawaii ... hmm ... history books say something a little different of late ...


Yes, that little torpedo boat out there in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2, 1964 was the necessary provocation for Lyndon Johnson to take us to war in a little known country at the time ... Vietnam!


And the target of that small torpedo boat? Yeh, this is the Maddox!


And this was enough for the pentagon to plan the invasion of Iraq! Several observers have testified that Pentagon planners were preparing the invasion of Iraq only nine days after 9-11-01 when they visited the planning room there. General Wesley Clark, in an interview this past week, stated that he was one of those "observers."


What provocation will bring this image and the nutty words of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to our minds as we prepare to take on Iran?


Surely, not anything this inconvenient blip in history, whose squeak is louder than his bite, might pretend to be doing!

Wanna bet? Just you wait ... it won't matter whether Ahmadinejad does or doesn't (he doesn't!) have a connection with Al-Qaeda.

Remember Saddam Hussein?


A convenient "blip"

After watching John and Elizabeth Edwards today, I am proud to be both an American and a Democrat!

Although it's awfully hard for me not to be enamored anyway by his confident presidential looks combined with his guy-next-door humility, John Edwards's sad announcement relating to his wife's breast cancer brought home with great power the distinction between Democrats (and other progressives) and ... the Republican neocons who have darkened our Capitol with a secret presidency, a confused (but deadly nonetheless) and unnecessary war in Iraq, trillions of lost dollars in their lust for both oil and contract dollars, and, most recently the arrogance of political power run amok in the unprecedented replacement of several US Attorneys without Congressional ratification.

John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, put a human face on politics.

But lest we forget, the others running for the 2008 Democratic nomination are also attempting to humanize the issues that we, as a nation, are all facing.

Hillary was battling the insurance and pharmaceutical companies' attorneys on live television way back when it was politically unacceptable to even discuss Universal Health Care. That was early in Bill Clinton's term as president and I was absolutely amazed by her incisive questions and willingness to sacrifice her popularity for what was, at the time, a losing cause.

Barack Obama was standing--and voting--against the invasion of Iraq before most Democrats were able at the time to see beyond the lies that Bush, Rummy and Cheney (and others) had blinded us with in order to justify "the worst blunder in American foreign policy ever."

And, of course, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich have been devoting an enormous amount of time in small communities all over the world. John Edwards has done both humanitarian work in Africa and started after-school programs for low-income kids in North Carolina.

And Al Gore has endured a great deal of abuse for a very long time in his attempt to bring the facts surrounding Global Warming and other environmental issues to the attention of a largely unsympathetic audience.

All of the Democratic candidates have talked with a lot of regular, hard-working people for a very long time.

Hopefully, they will start talking with one another with the same vigor that they are spending on the campaign trail.

I know that the pictures below have appeared in numerous postings on this blog before, but with the sadness of today's announcement by John Edwards and Elizabeth, it is good to remember that they are in good company.









Wouldn't it be great if they could all be President simultaneously?

But I'll settle for Obama as President, Hillary as Vice President (or vice versa) and Edwards and Gore as our Secretaries of State and Defense (or vice versa) ... or randomly in all of those posts with Bill Clinton as the next Attorney General. And oh yes, Dennis Kucinich would be just fine as the new HUD Secretary.

Migod! I almost had a euphoric heart attack as I typed that paragraph.

And one more ... to be the first US Secretary of Smiles and Happy Personal Affairs ...

This ain't my [big] bruddah from a diff'rent muddah!

I certainly hope that Mr. Obama wasn't a driving force behind this (admittedly very funny!) political ad/video that suggests that Hillary Clinton is from the ancient past (1984!) and a "big brother" kind of person. The "Hillary 1984" video on YouTube finally got me to visit YouTube for the first time and (sadly) has probably brought a few million voters with me.

Briefly, what the ad portrayed was Hillary's face replacing that of "Big Brother" from an old Apple Computer ad.

I must admit that the ad itself is quite cleverly done and the "Apple-like" Obama logo at the end was a powerful endorsement of the view (that most of us who call ourselves progressives share) that we don't want politics as it was, but as it can be after 2008.


"Big Brother" as Taken from the Original Apple Video

It's not just Alberto Gonzales; it's our "checks and balances"!

Going back to his predecessor and through the entire time that Mr. Gonzales has been the "peoples attorney," both Mr. Ashcroft (his predecessor) and Gonzales have done serious damage to our constitutional system of checks and balances among the executive, the legislative and the courts. Surely Mr. Gonzales seems to be the White House's personal attorney as our attorney general and has a history of supporting interpretations of the law that grant powers to the executive branch that go beyond anything any previous AGs have ever attempted.

Please give us back our Government, Mr. Gonzales! Resign today!

And should that not happen: Please give us back our Government, Mr. Bush! Fire him today! You can immediately hire him back as your personal attorney to defend you in the impeachment proceedings anyway.

The "Plame Game" isn't over by a long shot!

By now, we have all seen and heard Valerie Plame (above) tell her sad story over and over again. The testimony was unprecedented and powerful. She was sacked through deliberate leaks to the press and a concerted effort of many of Mr. Bush's most trusted minions.

But, in all honesty, I truly believe that, in this affair--like the firing of the US attorneys, Mr. Bush was entirely kept out of the loop. This conspiracy was carried out by White House political advisor Karl Rove, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, Vice-President Dick Cheney and Mr Cheney’s former Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby ... plus others. The testimony over the next few weeks should put the matter to rest, I believe.

We all know that Mr Libby was recently convicted of four felonies relating to the leak of Ms Wilson's top-secret identity: two counts of perjury, one of obstruction of justice and one of making false statements to federal investigators. But exactly what will the others who were involved be charged with?

Mr. Bush could make good on his "promise" to the American people (made more than six months ago) that he would fire anyone who appeared to be involved "in any manner," but he seems to be going very slow in that regard.

In the meanwhile, the testimony of Ms. Wilson (Valerie Plame) on C-SPAN this past week was the most powerful "reality show" yet.

The average American doesn't even know who Alberto Gonzales is!

But the rest of the world remembers. Do you remember ... NOW?

Saint Patrick ... we need you today!

If ever we needed someone to rid our country of snakes, it is NOW! I can't seem to turn on the television without learning of some new revelation of sneaky (snaky!) maneuvers in Washington relative to just about any subject under investigation there. Iraq, Iran, oil, billion dollar boon-doggles in the Middle East, indiscriminate firings of US attorneys, leaking of CIA agents' identities, peeking into Americans' e-mails and mail without probable cause, wiretaps without going through the FISA Courts, a nod and a wink from the Justice Department vis-a-vis the torture and illegal detention of "enemy combatants" ... the list is endless.

Admittedly Mr. Cheney (shown in a candid photo above) seems to be the principle villain (snake) in the swarm of vipers that have infested Washington, but a full disclosure of those who are still around (where is Rummy these days, anyway?) may take weeks to unfold, if not months. And oh yes, rumor has it that Alberto Gonzales is capable of firing just about anyone without even the President's approval or awareness.

But, should Saint Patrick show up before Saint Patty's Day is history, he might study the photo below to get a good handle on where to start as he rids our country of its snakes.


Watch out, Messieurs Bush, Cheney and Rove; you could be next on Alberto Gonzales' hit list

Hmmm ... Just imagine the Constitutional crisis that would ensue if Gonzales were to fire George W. Bush, Richard Cheney and Karl Rove before they got around to firing him! He was able to fire the US attorneys without the President's knowledge (everyone admits this now) although they were serving at "the pleasure of the President." Who knows exactly what powers Congress inadvertently gave Alberto Gonzales when they passed the Patriot Act without reading it ... a fact that every member of Congress admits to having done in the hurry to show the nation that the War on Terror was real and that they were on the front lines of that war.

Lord love a duck! Could Alberto Gonzales actually make Nancy Pelosi the President with a stroke of his (firing) pen? And that might not just be a hypothetical question!

Okay ... I admit ... I'm scared sh**less! (no pun intended) ... [Colonoscopies are inhuman invasions of privacy!]

Admittedly, I have been remiss in putting this off until now. At 72, I should be going in for my fifth colonoscopy tomorrow and not my ... (yup!) first!

A close friend of mine (Douglas Winter) passed away a few years back of colon cancer and wrote a powerful letter to myself and my (living) fraternity brothers about the importance of having regular colonoscopies. But ... yeh, I know ... it's not painful, shameful or really even of great discomfort ... but ...

Just look at the length of that crazy colonoscope!



Can you honestly tell me that having that 1/2" diameter tube run up, across and then down again through your entire gut (seemingly) isn't going to feel like being impaled on a burning torch in East Africa?

The actual colonoscopy that I will endure tomorrow is actually no more than a simple (ha!) procedure that allows the doctor to obtain a clear look at the inside of the colon or large intestine. This is done with a colonoscope, which is a flexible tube containing a high resolution camera and light source. During the test a polyp may be found. Polyps are abnormal growths of tissue, which vary in size and may become cancers if not removed. The removal of polyps during a colonoscopy is called polypectomy.

Next week I'll probably be posting my nervousness about my upcoming polypectomy.

In the meanwhile, it's back to the liquid "preparation" that I take every three or so hours and the inevitable discomfort this evening and through the night. No need for details, I suppose.

Where are you when I need you, brother Richard in Connecticut?

It's "Time" for pete Rose to be let back into the game he loves!

Career Statistics

Games: 3,562
At Bats: 14,053
Runs: 2,165
Hits: 4,256
Doubles: 746
Triples: 135
Home Runs: 160
Walks: 1,143
Strike Outs: 1,143
Batting Average: 0.303

And, BTW ... this was without steroids!

And, oh yes ...

- Rookie of the Year - 1963
- Won 3 National League batting titles (1968, 1969, 1973)
- World Series MVP - 1975
- Most hits by any player ... ever!
- All told, he set 34 Major and National League records
- Played more than 150 games a year in 17 seasons (an all-time record)
- Had a 44 game hitting streak back in 1978
- He played every infield and outfield position during his career and managed the Cincinnati Reds for five years

His latest statements to ESPN ... "I bet on my team every night. ... I didn't bet on my team four nights a week … I bet on my team to win every night because I love my team, I believe in my team. I did everything in my power every night to win that game."

He lived and succeeded in pursuing the American Dream. And for that, he was banned from baseball for life.



The "Real" Captain America ... and he doesn't only live in comic books!

When will the politically correct Nazis in America be shipped to Dubai along with the corporate offices of Haliburton and the National pastime welcome back its most ardent fan and player?

One ... two ... three strikes you're out!

Or is it ... going, going ... you're Gone-zoles?

I'm old enough to remember when John Mitchell ran roughshod over and through the Justice Department under Richard Nixon. It's like deja vu, except that Mr. Bush isn't nearly as strong a President as was Richard Nixon who, by comparison looks like Captain America (also now deceased, I understand) in retrospect.

Three simple reason why President Bush should swallow his pride and his loyalty to his (truly) loyal Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales:

Strike 1! The revelation that the administration has been eavesdropping on the overseas phone calls and e-mails of Americans and others in the United States--without court-approved warrants. In so doing, he/they didn't bother with the FISA courts (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), which Congress passed and the president signed in 1978. Likely, this was the reason that John Ashcroft whisked off the scene before the fit hit the shan.

Strike 2! The continuing (from the time of Mr. Ashcroft) and ongoing searches of our personal records under the USA Patriot Act -- without "probable cause," this is likely a Federal crime to boot.

Strike 3! The recent mass-firings of federal prosecutors -- as well as Gonzales' limp excuse and willingness to take the full blame for the way in which it was conducted.

You're OUT, Mr. Gonzales!

If not for the country, Mr. President, you might escape an embarrassment to the Republican Party as well. Do it gently ... but quickly! Fire Alberto Gonzales NOW!

After all, you are the decider, aren't you?

I see and hear it coming ... Iran is the next target!

According to Israel, the Bush administration and more than 90 percent of the U.S. House of Representatives (plus greater than half of the U.S. Senate), Iran should not be allowed to have access to any nuclear technology. No, I did not say "nuclear weapons." I said "nuclear technology."

Without a question, the puzzle pieces are all set in place for a chain of events that will likely lead to nuclear war in the near future. If the picture puzzle depicts what I think it does, , the ultimate culprit will be the United States with Israel being but the trigger man and the target being ... Iran, of course.

Do you need reasons?

You need only go as far as the recently released draft document "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations" [.pdf], the Pentagon states that it will respond to the threat of WMD (which includes chemical and biological weapons) with nuclear weapons.

But let's add up the reasons stated in that same document:

• "To demonstrate U.S. intent and capability to use nuclear weapons to deter adversary use of WMD."
• "Against an adversary using or intending to use WMD against U.S., multinational, or alliance forces or civilian populations…"
• "[O]n adversary installations including WMD, deep, hardened bunkers containing chemical or biological weapons or the C2 infrastructure required for the adversary to execute a WMD attack against the United States or its friends and allies"
• "[T]o counter potentially overwhelming adversary conventional forces…"
• "For rapid and favorable war termination on U.S. terms…" [Think Iraq!]
• "To ensure success of U.S. and multinational operations…" [Think Iraq!]

That adds up to six reasons (all independent of one another). What do you think is going to happen?

The sky is falling ... the sky is falling!

Observations indicating a hydrogen density gradient in the vicinity of the solar system are reviewed, particularly observations of an anisotropy in the far-UV flux around 950 A from the brightest and closest O and B stars as well as a variation in the local D/H ratio along the lines of sight to Alpha Cen and Alpha Aur. Possible mechanisms that may strongly affect the observed D/H ratio on a very small scale are considered, selected radiation pressure is proposed as the most likely mechanism for deuterium separation, and it is shown that this mechanism would be effective only if the density gradient of the nearby interstellar medium has remained stable for at least about 10 million years. This time scale is taken to imply the existence of a nearby (less than 2 pc distant) interstellar cloud. Observational arguments in favor of such a cloud are presented, and implications of the presence of a nearby cloud are discussed, including possible changes in terrestrial climate. It is suggested that the postulated interstellar cloud should encounter the solar system at some unspecified time in the 'near' future and might have a drastic influence on terrestrial climate in the next 10,000 years....

Where in hell is Al Gore when we need him most?

Iran = New Nuclear Power?

Hey, hey! We now know that 50,000 rials in Iran is worth $5.40 ... and carries on the note of that denomination a nuclear symbol. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is rubbing it in our faces, me thinks. The previous bank note of highest denomination in Iran was about 25,000 rials or about $2.50 or so. I guess the phrase "as phony as a $2 bill" has new meaning. I also wonder if the text next to Mohammad on the bill -- "Men from the land of Persia will attain scientific knowledge even if it is as far as the Pleiades" -- is really an original quote from Mohammad or something that has been reworded slightly. The map of Iran is certainly authentic as is the portrait of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (do you remember 1979?). Yeh, I'd say that this new bank note is a reminder that Iran isn't going to go away soon. But the $5.40 value of the highest denomination bill in Iran tells me something too ... I'd say there's a bit of inflation going on east of our guys and gals fighting in Iraq.

Only my brother would see "another Ronald Reagan" in Fred Thompson ...

Only my brother Richard from Connecticut would see Fred Thompson (left) as another Ronald Reagan and the savior of his beloved Republican Party. Admittedly, he is extremely handsome to those of us who have shiny tops (mine is in back) and enjoyed Law and Order, and has a list of right-wing credentials that would have Barry Goldwater smiling in his grave.

Besides being a fund-raiser for Scooter Libby's defense, he: (Quoted)

--Is "pro-life," and believes federal judges should overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision as "bad law and bad medical science."
--Opposes gay marriage, but would let states decide whether to allow civil unions. "Marriage is between a man and a woman, and I don't believe judges ought to come along and change that."
--Opposes gun control, and praised last week's 2-1 federal appeals decision overturning a long-standing handgun ban. "The court basically said the Constitution means what it says, and I agree with that."
--Supports President Bush's decision to increase troops in Iraq. "Wars are full of mistakes. You rectify things. I think we're doing that now," he said. "Why would we not take any chance, even though there's certainly no guarantees, to not be run out of that place? I mean, we've got to take that opportunity and give it a chance to work."

Wow! I'd say he's another Barry Goldwater and would be a great giant step backward towards slavery and Nazi extermination camps! I'd also suggest that the former Senator from Tennessee (ironically replaced Al Gore back when Gore teamed up with Bill Clinton) return to Law and Order (he played prosecutor, Arthur Branch) and do something for which he's eminently qualified.

My sweet brother from Connecticut sees Thompson as some sort of "Savior" for the Republican Party. I see him as a sure bet to elect a Democrat if he were to be nominated in some fluke of history.

Hagel will definitely make it an interesting race in 2008 ...

Hellfire, Chuck Hagel is my kind of Republican ... or at least was until I began to become so dag-nabbed liberal in recent years.

As most of you have heard over the past couple of days, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, a two-term Nebraska senator (move over, Hillary!) and Vietnam War veteran (move over, John Kerry) who has been openly critical of the administration's strategy in Iraq (move over, John Edwards), will announce on Monday whether he plans to run for president in 2008.

One thing's for sure -- he won't be "sharing" the Republican votes in the Primaries with other Republican candidates who feel as he does that we should be out of the accidental (that's a gentler adjective than "treasonous") carnage in Iraq. And one poll showed him running only slightly behind Hillary and/or Obama in the general election.

But whatever, he's a real wild card on the Republican side and will surely gather substantial number of delegates in/during the Republican primaries ... putting more pressure on Mr. Bush to do what's right and get our youngsters out of Iraq ... like tomorrow!

Hopefully, he won't run as an Independent (hurts the Republicans in the general election and muddies the water), but insists on trying to turn the party around. Imagine a Republican candidate who called the buildup "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam" and who went on to say, that Bush was playing "a ping-pong game with American lives." Wow! Yippee!! As you recall, Hagel's comments drew fire and brimstone from [soon not to be] Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Let's say I believe firmly in Ronald Reagan's eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican," Cheney said in his Newsweek interview back in January. "But it's very hard sometimes to adhere to that where Chuck Hagel is involved."

Add to his lighting a fire under Scooter Libby's boss (referring, of course to Dick Cheney who is/was also George Bush's boss) the fact that he and John McCain are close friends going way back, and you have ... well, the fireworks will start in three days if he announces his plans to run as a Republican for the 2008 Presidential nomination.

I can surely imagine the Democrats coming up with a surprise nominee (not really, but Joe Lieberman comes to mind) that would have me gladly vote for Chuck Hagel for President.

You know, it might be early but the 2008 Presidential race it's almost as much fun following the candidates as following the exploits of Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Lisa Nowak (900 miles in a diaper), et. al.

Squeaky leaks ... me thinks Cheney speaks ... in his notes and phone calls ...

Okay, okay ... I am not an attorney (my brother-in-law does that sort of thing), but it certainly seems to me that Patrick Fitzgerald (a.k.a. Eliot Ness), the prosecutor in the Scooter Libby trial, has constructed a case that points to Vice-President Cheney as the ultimate source for the leak that outed Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a covert CIA operative.

The only questions left relate to the possibility of treason being committed in the White House itself. I wonder (loudly) the following: (1) Did President Bush even ask Mr. Cheney what was going on? and (2) what exactly did the President mean when he said that he'd fire the culprit who leaked Valerie Plame's name ... before the office of the Vice President became a focal point in Fitzgerald's investigation?

Also ... it's beginning to seem as though the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity is wrapped closely with the "leaks" relating to the reasons we are fighting in Iraq in the first place.

What's taking so long for the American people to rise up and shout,

That's enough!!

Don't be one of the 450,000 who die each year as a result of smoking, Mr. Obama!

Word on the street is that you are three weeks free of the filthy habit and the talking heads on Fox News are beside themselves with the prospect of having to portray the real ...


YOU!!

PS: My brother Richard in Connecticut has gone almost as long without a fag as it takes the average lady to have a baby ... carry it in her womb, that is. My congratulations to them both!

Impeachment in 07 is a must! Okay, let's lay off bush for awhile if that's what you want, but for goodness sakes, let's at least ...

My last posting -- only posted this morning -- got me to thinking (again). The longer we wait, the longer we attempt to take the high road, the longer we try to remain politically correct in our language and actions ... the more Iraqi children will die, the more American boys and girls fighting an unknown enemy in Iraq will come under fire and either die or be wounded in combat! And worse yet ... the closer we, as a nation, will approach becoming engaged in a much wider war in the Middle East.

I personally believe that Vice president Richard Cheney has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, including, among many others, misleading the President into leading our nation into an aggressive war, leading the way for our Government to spy on all of us in open violation of the law and sanctioning the use of torture. And yes, whether Mr. Libby (Cheney's Chief of Staff earlier in this administration) is found guilty or not, the evidence that Mr. Cheney was also the Big Gun behind the outing of CIA Agent, Valerie Plame, is documented in his handwritten notes on newspaper and magazine articles--as well a number of intra-staff memos.

If it were up to me, I'd demand that Congress hold Cheney accountable through the Constitutional remedy of impeachment.

Now!

I might have been wrong in my assessment in an earlier posting that Mr. Bush is/was our worst President ever. It seems reasonable to assume that he was only a puppet too busy basking in the sunlight to notice that Mr. Cheney was the actual ...

Cheney: "It is worth reminding ourselves, that like it or not, the enemy we face in the war on terror has made Iraq the primary front in that war."

No, Mr. Cheney, it was not the terrorists who made Iraq a front line in the war on Terror ... it was you and those to whom you suggested (Rumsfeld, Bush, etc. -- even the then Sectretary of State Colin Powell) that we invade a country that had not killed a single American in a decade. But in the long run, even Haliburton and the US oil companies that stood to gain will actually profit from the sad carnage that we began in Iraq. The latest Rasmussen polls show that most Americans think we are falling behind in our war on terrorism and the sudden "correction" in the stock markets during the past week suggest that the beliefs go further than the Rasmussen polls.


Do you wonder why?

What few Al-Qaida who are even in Iraq are largely from Saudi Arabia and the three major groups of combatants (the Sunnis, the Shiites and the US) are the primary sources of photos like the one above.

Yes, we should attack and destroy terrorists who threaten us ... but they simply aren't in Iraq! Yes, that's where the the oil is and that's where billions of dollars can be made by contractors who contribute mightily to the Republican Party ... but the terrorists are elsewhere and, quite frankly, we should be striking them before they strike us!

My apologies to those persons who were offended by the photo shown above. But it's time we saw clearly what the war in Iraq is all about. As bad as the Administration has failed in providing a clean and pleasant environment for our wounded heroes in our VA hospitals (and especially in Building 18 of the Walter Reed Medical Center), it's even less pleasant in those areas of Iraq following a US bombing raid or, for that matter, a Sunni-upon-Shiite or Shiite-upon-Sunni tit-for-tat vengeance raid.

Saddam Hussein was indeed a butcher, but what exactly do we call what has been happening to Iraq and to our own soldiers since the exciting evening of "Shock and Awe"? Or even since we cheered to "Mission Accomplished"?

History will be the judge, I'm afraid, and nothing ... absolutely nothing ... will turn the ongoing carnage in Iraq into a "victory over terrorism" ...