And Doug, the U.S. talks out both sides of its mouth about this disaster - the Hawks say, on one hand, we have to stay so that the country doesn't descend into civil war, and then Rumsfeld turns around the other day and says the U.S. Military will not engage if a civil war breaks out! WTF?!? They can't even keep their stories straight any more, they have lied so often!

It seems obvious that the nation we know as Iraq is disintegrating. The Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites don't want to be a part of the same nation. I believe the best the US can do is to help broker an arrangement for three seperate states. I don't see this happening, but it's a thought.

Yeah... But... Look how much money the military contractors are making, and the longer it goes on the more money they make. Is this a great administration or what? It just makes you want to go out and give them a big contribution, doesn't it?

I've come to the conclusion that the war is just theather. Last night I heard Chris Mathews say the war was going to cost a Trillion Dollars! He said the war could be used as a case study at West Point! President Bush lied and people died. Also, who is coloring Suddam's hair? The man is seventy-one years old.

I have a fear that Iran will step into this middle east mess and drop a big one on us or England or maybe even Israel.

I too heard Matthews last night while interviewing the authors of "Cobra 2" that was written on the Iraqi war. I have so many books waiting for me now that I do not need another one. I'm hoping that someone here or elsewhere will do a review. It wan an excellent show, wasn't it alesure?

In a company or firm, when the cancer spreads too deep, the only thing you can do is watch it die. The suits march in, "divide and conquer" everything the can get (for themselves) and throw the workers on the street.
Frankly, this country is way beyond Chapter 11. "Let it Bleed".

"the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians."....it's called murder...and YOU are paying for it...which makes YOU a murderer!

Its quite obvious now that the Bush Administration is either extremely stupid or extremely diabolical. They really thought Iraq would be a "cake-walk", or they led everyone to believe they did. Since they're such audacious liers, they can't possibly be that stupid, so the latter must be the case. They went into Iraq to deliberately destroy the country and bring about the death and choas that their actions have caused. This would indicate that the Bush regime is an extremely dangerous regime not only for Iraq, but for the U.S. and the rest of the world. The more one examines their actions in Iraq, it becomes more and more evident that everything done by the Bush Administration was deliberate and intended to reek havoc and destruction. The many lies they've told just to get the U.S. into the quagmire we find ourselves in today is a sobering realization of the lenghts these folks will go, to plunge the nation and potentially the world into hatred and war.

The only thing I would quibble with in this excellent commentary is the first line about "the unprecedented step of invading a country that posed no immediate threat to our security." From Vietnam to Central America to the Spanish American War to the Mexican War the United States has invaded numerous countries for a variety of bogus political and economic reasons having absolutely nothing to do with national security. Few people appreciate the costs in both lives and treasure that these "foreign adventures" cost our nation.

We are not not unlike the Roman Empire which required several hundred years before the ignorance, arrogance, and greed of its overreaching leaders created a system that was no longer politically and economically controllable or supportable. We are already there.

@Brian Tilley
Paying for murder is not murder; it is conspiracy to commit murder. Paying to kill large numbers of people to affect political change outside of the laws of war is arguably a terrorist act (see i-p-o.org/terrorism-legal-definition.htm). So arguably, by your logic, we (as in U.S. citizens) are not murderers; we are terrorists.
As for the U.S. legal defintion of terrorism, I think that the only thing that has codified as terrorism done by this administration is the alleged kidnapping of the president of Haiti. If that was actually a kidnapping, it clearly falls under the U.S. legal definition of terrorism, as does giving material support to such an effort.

WOW. WOW. The most eloquent, unflinching and brutally honest assesment I have ever read.

First, let me say I AM CANADIAN and as such really have no right to interject my thoughts. However, I was born in the U.S., lived, worked and served in the USAF until 1972 when, with my partner, we decided to leave for Canada. I said at the time I felt we would live to see a dictator in the White House (hoping it would be a benevolent one - which it isn't). My family members still live in the U.S. and are aware of my/our feelings. The U.S. is no longer the country I knew and grew up in. It's a tragedy and I have great difficulty understanding why my former citizens let, and are continuing to let, the country spiral downward. And now, thanks to Bush and our leaders desire to "be friends" we're getting bogged down in Afghanistan - taking the place of U.S. troops because the Bushites could see it coming and didn't want to be bogged down in two places of the world. I for-feited my U.S. citizenship without a second thought and am not a "dual citizen" as some people like to be. Please, for everyone's sake, can't someone get the U.S. back under control??

Before we went into this war, everyone was assured that we would not occupy the country. Just what the hell do you call what we are doing now, other than an occupation. If we would have left when the mission was accomplishe, we would have been way ahead of where we are now, wouldn't we?

I wonder if this corrupt administration ever worries about its legacy?

Do they possibly believe their own press statements? Does wishing really make it so?

Are they at all aware that they will go down in history as the most dishonest, inept and vile group of people to ever occupy the White House?

They can't possibly shred enough files and memos to cover their tracks. They are going to have to lobotomize the whole nation.

We are not only going to have to have the White House disinfected, we are going to have to have the place exorcised.

Everyone should read "The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse," a three-page paper by economist Krassimir Petrov -- published 1/18/06 by Energy Bulletin. You can Google it.

Does anyone know if the dead Dubai port deal specified the form of payment to the Saudis? If it specified that they HAD to take dollars, then Petrov has hit the nail on the head. If his statement that Sadam Hussein demanded gold-backed Euros for his oil in 2000 instead of the dollar and would not back down is correct, then the pieces begin to fit.

Do a little reading, folks!

Everyone should read "The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse," a three-page paper by economist Krassimir Petrov -- published 1/18/06 by Energy Bulletin. You can Google it.

Does anyone know if the dead Dubai port deal specified the form of payment to the Saudis? If it specified that they HAD to take dollars, then Petrov has hit the nail on the head. If his statement that Sadam Hussein demanded gold-backed Euros for his oil in 2000 instead of the dollar and would not back down is correct, then the pieces begin to fit.

Do a little reading, folks!

Julian, for what reason did you forsake your homeland ? Was it financial or because some of our laws are to harsh for people that have a partner.
I'm sure I'd like to leave too. but I have generations of family, and family can not be replaced.
Though you gave up what at least a third of the world would die trying to come here for, you still worry about us.
My thought is that if you still worry, why don't you get to work to help protect the generations you left behind. You have to know that citizenship has never been necessary to soldier for our wars. You are probably to old to soldier but you surely could become an armchair journalist.
You sound as if dual citizenship is a bad thing. Why would it be ? Taxes ? Health care? Bankruptcy ? or is that why you left us. You need to return. Your sense of guilt shines right through your words. Yes, King George has to go. I don't know how. all of us are at a loss. We seem to be in the grasp of a monster that is doing everything backwards on purpose. He seems to do anything to harm America in every way.
Don't let your family down again. At least try to help from across the border. Can you imagine how much help we could use on the other side of the Mexico border ?
Great Granny

I am glad to see that I am not the only one blogging about our failures in Iraq, specifically our failure s to the Iraqi people. They are far worse off than before we invaded them. The world is disgusted by us and even our own Army's study shows that we have blown it there.

Note to Great Granny - Sorry you seemed to sense I feel guilt about leaving U.S. Believe me, I have absolutely no sense of guilt whatever. I left because I didn't like what I sensed was happening in the upper levels of the government and the direction it seemed to be going. Financially, I've benefited from being in, and a part of, Canada and I wouldn't trade Canada for the U.S. in any way, shape or form. I had no real reason to leave your country except to gain more, in every way. As for my family, they are deeply ingrained in "the American Way" and we almost had a falling out this past xmas over the political scene - result: absolutely no discussion about Iraq, Bush, Cheney, etc. What is astounding is they merely say, 'well, what can we do?' That seems to be the attitude of most of your country - yet it used to be that citizens could mount enough pressure to do, or undo, anything in a 'so called' democracy. Please don't 'bleed' for me, Granny - I'm just fine where I am!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$...that's what this war is all about, plain and simple! I guarantee, unless the American people go absolutely ballistic on their duly elected reps to stop this debacle, we will still be in Iraq feeding our young men and women to the flames of war 2.5 years from now. Bush and his cronies are not "stupid", they are free-booting, war-profiteer's plain and simple. If we pulled out within the next 3-6 months, oil prices would drop probably $20 a barrel, Cheney's million plus stock option's would tank in price, altough he has option strikes starting in the $20 zone, but just he same he'll take a finanacial spanking. In Bush's case, who knows how much gold bullion, and carton's of greenbacks and euro notes are being stored in some secure location as his reward for the continuance of this conflagration. War is big business, and the M.I. complex is having their day in the sun. They were crying with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the easing of tension's, until Pappy Bush gave them a shot in the arm with his Gulf War I debacle. I often think he stopped 20 miles outside of Iraq, so he could save Saddam for junior, when it was his turn in office, for another feeding of the M.I.Complex. They were probably planning to do their "Diebold Coup" for many years prior to dubya's installation as President. I simply don't trust them, and their action's are quite damning up to this point. There's no complexity to this, it's simply human greed run amok...!

Carl Nemo

The republicians continue to believe the president, as they continue to believe congress.
With the republicians believing that all democracts are traitors, and who want the terrorists to win, what will happen if the dems win control of congress in 06- wishful thinking I know- The DNC as it is today are losers, and if they continue on the path they have set, they will continue to lose. 50 vets, 10 from Iraq are running for political office in 06. Yet we hear nothing from the DNC about this. They continue to cringe, and propose loser stratagy to all who run. The "leaders" of the DNC need to be thrown out for anything good to happen.
The best of all possible worlds would be for the president to be from one party, while congress should be from the other, far better for congress to do nothing, than what this congress and president have done, but what is the answwer? voting levels in primaries (at least here in Texas) are well below 10%. If people don't vote, then this country is toast. I give the US 25-50 years to either disolve, have another civil war, or be a destitute third world country.

My heart breaks for the innocent women and children that died today, I believe the citizens of iraq love their familys just as much as we do, but when there is mega-billions of dollers to be made, and oil to be had, I reckon the invasion was worth it. I should have bought as much halliburton stock as possible about 5 years ago, then I would be pro war too!

Balkanization in the middle east, that old 'divide and conquer' has been in the back of most neocon planner's minds since before Bush even took office. No matter what happens in Iraq, those troops aren't going anywhere. They'll be needed when Iran is attacked, and projection of American power into the oil producing regions are a huge part of the overall plan for American hegemony in the world.

A fact that some economists dispute, yet others affirm, is that the coming shift to petroEuros will do serious economic damage to the Americans, and thus for their prospects of a unipolar world under their own jackboot. If they retreat from Iraq now, and if Iraqi government falls under the influence of the Iranian mullahs without US troops in place to make certain they behave, PNAC is dead on the vine.

Neocons with no PNAC and no endless war to keep the Americans hoppin' scared is a formula that will be the end of a lot of interest groups who have made their fortunes in the debacles of the last few years. It will also see a number of their crews imprisoned.

The first thing that Americans have to understand is that the process is out of their control. Once they come to terms with that, then perhaps they can remedy the situation. I'm not counting on it, though, since it seems that the average American can't be bothered with much of anything unless it directly impacts his own level of comfort.

Of course, by the time the neocons and their ultrahawks impact the average American's level of personal comfort, it will be too late to do anything about it.

Enjoy Iran.

I wonder if I sold out now and moved to Canada or Europe how much it would cost me. Conversations with friends who used to joke about that are now seriously considering the option. America is no longer the place to be. We are behind in technology, behind in intelligence (both educational and stuff like CIA/NSA) and yet for some reasons most Americans think that we are still the best. Our core system that will allow us to raise up the best people to make advancements in our country is so far down the shitter that even a plumbing snake couldn't find it.

I used to be proud to be an American. Now I am ashamed to call it my home. Just to end it out, I have a vacation planned to go tour Europe, and my friend told me to sew a Canadian flag on my bag because of the negative outlook people now have of America.. I am seriously considering it...

if you come to australia sew a canadian flag on please.the response might offend otherwise and speak quitely.

I relocated to Canada roughly 6 years ago from the US because I married a local lady. The process, before it was all said and done, cost roughly 5 thousand dollars (not including time lost while waiting on work visas, etc) and took just over three years. Much of that was spent chasing paperwork. Perhaps the system is more streamlined, now. It was in transition for a while, and 9/11 essentially reset the 'start' button for me.

Unless you marry a resident or citizen, though, you must either be a political refugee, a professional in a high demand industry that is experiencing a domestic employee shortage, or be fairly wealthy to just shift residence, though. Even then, you will probably have to apply from outside of the country.

Europe seems to be leaning in the direction of making it harder and harder to relocate to several of their countries. Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands, especially.

If you go to Australia, all I can tell you is that with their current racist neofascist, Howard, you have better be white. Elsewise you're likely to be locked up for months upon arrival.

Might be better to just fix what you have, though. But damned if I can tell you how to do that.

mike morgan:

Hell, for 5 g's you missed all of bush's sham policies. It was a great all-time move. You saved money in the long run. Good Luck. I'm considering some kind of move. I just can't stand the direction this country is going. It should now be obvious to all that Bush is an incompetent fool.

"'the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians.'....it's called murder...and YOU are paying for it...which makes YOU a murderer!"

You're a jackass. A jackass in desperate need of a dictionary and civics lesson.

Question? How do you get yourself elected to a second term as President of the United States when the polls show that you would lose? Answer! Start a war. Make up a bunch of BS about an enemy that only brags about WMD's, make up a few lies about yellow cake and say that those who might run against you are not really Americans. Besides, America has never voted out a President during a time of war, no matter how corrupt the Administration was. Simple, huh!

I agree 100% that Bush is incompetent; a liar; obnoxious; arrogant; and that this country is being led down a road that we might never ever be able to return from. But two things I also believe is that in reality Cheney is running the show because W isn't smart enough and the other is that the democrats cringe at taking any action against Bush because if they can get him impeached and out of office then who will be the top dog - none other than Cheney the liar and arrogant and obnoxious person that he is. While he is running the show from behind the walls, if Bush is gone then he will be out in the open and totally out of control. Oh and remember this, that Haliburton and its affiliates have most of the contracts in Iraq and guess who is making millions off of that - good old Dickie boy.

Prediction:

The government will be so broke in ten years that states like California and NY will consider secession.

Laugh if you will, but we will see an attempt at secession in the next 20 years tops (if not in the first 10).

ODE TO RUMMY
------------
Oh Hydra Heads!
American sabres
blunting fast...

Note there are 2 very good blogs that follow the War on Terra. antiwar.com & juancole.org.

Everything is a big psy ops job. We think Bush and co are incompetent, but it is done on purpose as they bury the US and help get the Arabs to kill themsleves instead of us. Pure genius on their part. They have us thinking it is a disaster, when it is what they want. How many US troops are getting whacked lately? Not many, it is mostly Iraqi civilians in an increasing move toward civil war. With us andIran we will bomb Iran and get them involved with an ongoing war with Kurds and Sunnis. The enitre region will be at each other's throats, while the US licks its chops to pick up the pieces. Bush andco don't care if we think they are incompetent or that the polling numbers are horrendous, they are in power, Congress is effectively neutered, along with the lapdog press. They are in power still and will maintain power, unless the AMerican people wake up and demand change!!!!!!

Everything is a big psy ops job. We think Bush and co are incompetent, but it is done on purpose as they bury the US and help get the Arabs to kill themsleves instead of us. Pure genius on their part. They have us thinking it is a disaster, when it is what they want. How many US troops are getting whacked lately? Not many, it is mostly Iraqi civilians in an increasing move toward civil war. With us andIran we will bomb Iran and get them involved with an ongoing war with Kurds and Sunnis. The enitre region will be at each other's throats, while the US licks its chops to pick up the pieces. Bush andco don't care if we think they are incompetent or that the polling numbers are horrendous, they are in power, Congress is effectively neutered, along with the lapdog press. They are in power still and will maintain power, unless the AMerican people wake up and demand change!!!!!!

Let me chip in my 2 cents worth. Again, I am not a US national, but many of my friends are. They are as equally dismayed at the self-destruction of the US Administration of (P)resident GWB as you are. (He's just the (P)resident of #1600) I came across the site noted here, and it's worth a look, because the author is wrestling with options of what to DO under the current circumstances. www.thefairandbalancednews.com
By all means continue this discussion on ACTION both on this page and with FBN. But ACT you must, the futire of the entire planet is at stake.
May God help us all!

I despise Saddam Hussein and all other dictators for that matter. They're evil, despicable, monsters who have no respect for human life, civil rights or personal privacy. They start wars based on a whim; they spy on their own citizens with impunity; and they imprison, torture and even kill those who would dare to oppose them. They often pretend to be God fearing; when in fact, they have no real belief in anything other than the lust for power and money. They reward those who feign loyalty with lofty government positions -- regardless of their competency. And finally, they desecrate the very documents, like our Constitution and Bill of Rights, which define the very essence of the nation they control!

Does all of this sound too familiar? It certainly does to me! Wake-up America before it's too late! Write you Congressman and demand impeachment proceedings for George W. Bush begin NOW!