The only people dumber than Bush 43 are the Democratic politicians ...

The reality is that the invasion of Iraq PLUS no serious plan for the occupation to follow BECAUSE THE CHENEY-RUMSFELD-NEOCON CABAL DIDN'T THINK WE NEEDED ONE was the pinnacle of foreign policy folly.

And the only people dumber are the politicians in the party under which I am registered to vote (Democrats) who are now letting the Big Oil Bushies' A-Team of Baker-Gates once again clean up Junior's mess. Instead of a regional arrangement involving all relevant parties (which Baker offered to us on a silver (gold? platinum? oil-slicked?) platter, we are aligning ourselves with the Saudis (aka Sunnis) to put the power politics squeeze on the Shiites and Iran. (We already have the Kurds.)

We are setting ourselves up for years of mischief by China and Russia in the Middle East instead of resolving this issue when we have the strength to do so, simply because our Christian Right supports a unilateral policy of support for Israel against all foes AND the Democrats didn't cement the Iraq Study Group policy into place when they had the chance.

The Democrats today do not have the operative wisdom necessary for strategic leadership. That wisdom is bought and paid for by the Big Oil folks on one side and the "Rockefeller" Globalists on the other. (I don't consider Hilary a Democrat. She's what I remember as a "Rockefeller Republican": internationally, a globalist; nationally, a moderate corporationist; locally, a pot-hole politician.)

We are kicking the can down the road, and the Democrats are playing right into it because they (we?) are afraid of two things (primarily): 1. The Jimmy Carter affect of losing strategic control over the petroleum we need to fuel our cars, pickups, and SUVs; and 2. The Zionist agenda (which is NOT synonymous with "Jewish" or even "Israeli" agenda) and their attack style of politics (Where did Rove learn his tactics? I wonder.)

While posturing to the left-wing base, the Democrats are doing nothing to effectively alter course, complaining that even with a majority, they don't have the votes. Dah! If Bush 43 wants to veto something, he winds up with nothing. That's pretty effective ... unless you're worried that it will backfire when gas is pumped on odd-even days matching your license plate. They could have simply said, adopt the Iraq Study Group policy suggestions or you aren't going to get anything passed.

When we Americans talk about our freedom, it is about a freedom to get up and go in OUR personal vehicle. Take THAT away and there is hell to pay. (Again, do you remember Jimmy Carter, folks?)

We WANT our government to protect our strategic interests ... wisely.

Gawd, how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when the Saudi ruler had that sit-down "Let's get things straight" talk with Cheney.

From another perspective: All a person has to do is go to where the people are doing whatever it is they really want to do ... like living in the Alaska bush ... farming in the Northern Midwest ... or fishing for stripers on the shore when the bennies are gone *wink* ... and you get a sense that the dynamism of our culture is not in global monopolism but in petite market capitalism ... where people can effectively do their own thing. Protect the right of the people to do their thing within fairly applied (for all) foul lines, and that political party would trounce all comers.