Conditions on the ground

Bush says repeatedly that we will not leave Iraq until "conditions on the ground" dictate that the time has come. So, what if conditions on the ground never dictate time to leave? Will we just stay there forever waiting for conditions on the ground to change? One might well argue that conditions on the ground will never change until we are out of there. In fact, if you listen to Bush/Cheney we will never be out of Iraq until we have achieved "victory," never mind conditions on the ground. Victory, conveniently for Bush/Cheney, is never defined. Oh, yeah, they say victory will be achieved when Iraq can stand on its own two feet, have a viable government, take care of their own security, and so forth. But what they never add is, have a government that will do what we want them to do, a puppet government just like all the others we have installed around the world for years. A puppet government that will not object to the fact that we have privatized their oil industry so the major oil companies will benefit at the expense of the Iraqi people, and will not complain about the fact that our huge corporations have managed to abscond with most of the money earmarked for reconstruction that has not been completed.

If you missed Democracy Now today you missed an interesting exchange between George McGovern, Dennis Kusinich, and some right-winger whose name I cannot remember at the moment (someone I never heard of before). The discussion became quite heated, especially when Kusinich suggested we had gone into Irag to steal their oil. This right-winger was outraged, outraged that Kusinich would imply that our motives were less than noble. I guess he believes we attacked Iraq in order to spread democracy throughout the Middle East. Where do Republicans even find these people? I guess it must be part of their "big tent" that excludes blacks and hispanics and other immigrants but includes morons, idiots, cretins, and all people with small, smooth brains. I guess we should give thanks that at least we got rid of Santorum, Allen, and Burns, three of the dimmest bulbs ever to manage to get elected to the Senate. We don't have this kind of problem here in Idaho. We don't actually send Senators and Representatives, just rubber stamps.

Exciting developments here at Sandhill. We have two new kittens, sisters, both completely gray, and both feisty beyond belief. Our two older cats do not like them, which does not surprise me one bit (my wife is in a state of denial). Ceci, who is spoiled beyond belief, doesn't actually attack them but she is also most unfriendly. Boo, who is centuries old, hates them. As they are small and all gray, and as his senses are not what they used to be, I think he may mistake them for rats. I suspect there will be no peace in our household until the Great Mystery calls Boo to cat heaven up there in the land of endless mice. I have to constantly bite my tongue so as not to say, "I told you so." Ah, life, a terminal condition transmitted by sex.