It's all too confusing

Are we ever going to get our troops out of Iraq or not? Some seem to think we can bring all our troops home. Some say we should not maintain permanent bases there. Still others talk about bring our combat troops out. I guess this means leaving other troops there. We are building (or may have already built) several permanent bases in Iraq. We are in the process of building a near billion dollar embassy (apparently a heavily armed garrison of some sort). Some seem to think we need to pass legislation that would prevent permanent bases. Others say permanent does not mean forever. It appears that Hillary, Obama, and Edwards all believe we should maintain a troop presence of some kind. Does anyone truly believe we have any intention of bringing all our troops home and not having a military presence in that unfortunately oil-heavy land? It seems perfectly clear to me that Bush/Cheney have no intention of ever leaving Iraq (unless maybe all their oil eventually runs out). We may eventually be chased out but not as long as Bush/Cheney can find more and more cannon fodder. We're like the greedy monkey with his hand in a gourd holding the banana and refusing to let go even though he could then withdraw his hand. Ah, oil! Black gold! Better, apparently, than human blood.

John McCain claimed today (maybe it was yesterday) that there are places in Bagdad where Americans can just walk down the street in peace. Progress is being made, he insists. He was immediately contradicted by CNN's man in Bagdad (who has been there for four years) who said McCain's claim is completely ludicrous. So much for the Straight Talk Express.

So many scandals, so little time. And our Attorney General seems to be right in the middle of several of them. This is just another example of Bush's selecting people whose only genuine qualifications are loyalty rather than expertise and experience. This entire administration is riddled with people who are not up to the jobs they are given. I suspect that Bush/Cheney have rendered the Republican party useless for years to come. So much for Rove's permanent Republican majority. So much for Cheney's dreams of empire. So much for American credibility. Bush/Cheney have dragged us into the gutter of international relations. It will be a long and difficult climb out if, indeed, we ever fully recover.