I Finally Have Larry All Figured Out

Here's really what happened to US Senator Larry Craig in that Minnesota airport loo. It all makes so much sense now.

At least Larry didn't attempt the Thom McAn Shuffle in his own state of Idaho. And because he's not gay, he must have just been checking if any blue state weirdo was trying to 'pull' anything. That's what Larry was doing, gang! His OWN undercover work! A pre-emptive strike! He was simply exercising the Bush Doctrine. How do you like THAT, Larry-haters?

Whatever Are We Going To Do With Michael?

LEADERS!
Great Leaders Are Not Born. They Copy Other Leaders.

Really, gang, now why shouldn't Mikey Chertoff become our new Attorney General? Let's give Pre-Rot Skullface a chance! If Mikey were to become AG, just think of the full year of fun we'd have! I for one would be keen on seeing Mikey's full, majestic rage unleashed, which is currently kept covert behind the Homemade Insecurity Dept.'s gentle facade. It would be a pretty grand show, cuz AGs get to go apeshit more often than strong 'n silent security types do.

Mikey's got that totally rad sci-fi sinister protagonist visage, which he displays with unabashed vigah. Unhappily, his squeezed-pressure-vessel voice is a BIG disappointment, but that can easily be media-morphed into a baleful bellow at the mere twist of an audio-tweaking digital toggle!

In addition, examine the semi-colour plate above. As Chief Martial Law Administrator (aka AG), Comrade Chertoffski will be as heroic, as effective, and as gloriously lookalike as Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov!

So, think about the Mikey Option, Dear Dicktator Dubya! Millions of sci-fi geeks'll love ya for it! And 'tis love that you need right now.

Larry Craig Straightens Things Out

"I want to thank you all for coming out today..."
- Larry Craig, at his recent Boise Press Conference In The Bright Idahoan Sun of Truth

Go, Gonzo, Go. Now GO!

I grudgingly have to admit, I heard of Gonzo's resignation first on Neocon Public Relations. You know, Mourning Edition (ME invariably puts me in a bad mood; and that's a pretty mournful fact). I was about to indulge in an NPR-less morn, but then, annoyingly, decided to flip it on, and a mucus-voiced Inskeeper was rattling out the (good?) news.

And few people do fussy, nasaly delivery better than Ari Shapiro, who was positively fluttery today, as if he, by his show-offy prancings in that tinny, narrow, suffocatingly-awful voice, actually had a stake in Gonzo's waddling off of the blighted Bushique stage.

Speaking of Ari, that other Ari of note, Fleischer, has surfaced again - possibly for air, after years-long submersion in the sewery sump of shadowy bargain Bush basement life - to give us a powerful (in the perfidious sense) series of pep-talk ads that do nothing but contribute to the subversive and floating anxiety that is so mentally retarding this country.

So that's how I found out about Alberto.
NPR's very ease of accessibility is one of its most alarming factors. It's that damn convenience thing.

My farewell message to Gonzo is, as Porky Pig would say: Get out! Out! OUT!! OUT!!! OUT!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting The Dosage Right

Most of my yakkings about NPR are now based on a 15 minute-or so daily dosage of dreariness. This morning it was Corey Flintstone's turn, giving his 'take' on Iran's 'toxic' influence on Iraq. Corey's delivery has always bugged me. He usually sounds like an 8th-grader who wants to convince you that his matchbook collection is cooler than yours. His word emphasis is completely mucked up, and it's all an affectation, because I've heard him talk quite normally and acceptably. That's a big problem with these NPR lifers, who feel they have to project a certain 'personality' to be 'interesting.' Nevertheless, I have to admit, in his Iraq stories, he does attempt some depth of understanding, or at least exploration of his subject that the usual neo-NPR suspects aren't capable of. However, this is just a style observation. I have to leave it to others, such as the NPR Check blog, to sift the substance out of the style.

Quite frankly, sometimes I feel embarrassed that I'm devoting so much attention to something so worthless as Neocon Propaganda Radio's style. I have to justify a certain amount of it though, as I'm interested in the progression of persuasive media, and a lot of the persuasion has to do with shiny superficiality, which NPR has in abundance. As we all know, it's that sheer abundance that makes exposure to NPR so soul-damaging. So, a mantra results: 'Keep the dosage low, keep the dosage low, lower, lower, still lower...'

Things Most Needful

One major imperative remains for the Bush/Cheney regime: to de-stabilize Iran as a regional power of consequence.

A 'sympathy vote' for Israel might be just as potent in selling a strike on Iran as 'bringing democracy' or 'WMD' were in the Iraq disaster.

Intentionally incomplete reports, in the form of propaganda, sent via NPR to 'thinking' audiences, are more valuable than a week of Rush Limbaugh rantings. If 'thinking' people, such as higher education types, where much of NPR's audience lies, can be brought on board with certain issues, then a significant battle to contain intellectualism will have been won. Condi, my good buddy Wolfie, and Freddy 'Fats' Kagan, and many others are all products of the Neocon 'intellectual freedom' which might be so effectively spread through Academia via conduits such as NPR.

So, two imperatives stand out for the Neocons:
1. Take out Iran while the iron is hot.
2. Take in NPR as an 'innocuous' tool to mold 'thinking' peoples' minds.

We must fasten our seatbelts securely.

The New Concept Of What Center-Left Actually Means Now

Yesterday I heard this guy, a guy called Guy, Guy Raz, on this 'All Thingies Considered-ed' show, which plays every, every day on Neocon Public Radio. He made a statement about the Brookings Institute being 'center-left'. I thought, y'know, that's what many think NPR itself is.

I wonder if projectile vomiting from distant locations can reach the Green Zone of NPR?

Karl Rove Defeats Effete-ism

You all know about K-carl's statement on K-crush Limbaugh, in which he lashed out at Dubya's critics, branding them as “sort of elite, effete snobs who can’t hold a candle to this guy.” Powerful stuff from Rapper Rove, who's about to embark on his next awesome mission sequence: prepping the wrecking ball for Hillarykins' razing, and prepping Jebber for '12.

But - but - but, a thought strikes me! So dreadful I scarcely dare give it utterance! But I must: is the true Connecticut Yankee soul of Dubya not revealed whenever he enunciates one particular word? And the word is: 'rather'. It comes out as a very un-HouTex-like 'rawther'. Rawther like the swish, effete, upper-crusty, powder-blue-blooded, gilded-aged pigboy types he and KR castigate, yet deep down in his innermost of sanctums, he remains? Just a . . . thought . . .

Padilla, Padalla...

The Bush Machine & Associated Interests Inc. need a sacrificial chicken in order to show that The Intergalactic War On Terror is indeed being won by The Righteous Ones.

Everyone's A Critic

Am I saying stuff about NPR that's too nasty?

Why, why NO!
No, I am not. Honest!

While I certainly admire civility in communication, I don't think it's too great a sin to be somewhat cutting when it comes to NPR's performance. After all, they are in the broadcasting business (more business-like than ever), and the P in NPR still stands, perhaps ostensibly, for 'public'. Anyone in public life or business has to be prepared for criticism. To my mind, that's the chief reason for this blog. I criticize NPR out of frustration, disappointment, and sometimes anger. Not because I want everything my way, but because all indications show that NPR isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing, and much evidence shows that they're cooperative with certain agendas in play in this country right now. That and other reasons make them worthy of criticism.

So I say, let it fly.

That said, responding to an earlier comment, I do indeed think NPR News' attempts in cultural matters are at times worse than their political coverage. Too many examples to note here, but to cite only one, I heard the gooey Liane Hansen and the occasional NPR film music 'maven' Andy Trudeau suavely yakking about the score to 'High Noon' on a recent Sunday morning. I don't want to bore anyone with my take on their mediocre ramblings, though Trudeau is no idiot when he's talking strictly about film scoring, but he plainly dumbs everything down for Liane and her listeners. The thing is, these NPR lifers usually muck up a potentially interesting segment by inflicting their unappealing personalities into every aspect of the subject at hand. This process is sometimes overt, and sometimes passive-aggressive. Liane had to put in her tiresome baby-boomer two cents, especially when she responded with disdain to Ray Conniff's quite sophisticated version of the theme song. Scarcely anything was said about the composer himself, Dimitri Tiomkin, one of cinema's more fascinating characters, or the evolution of 'High Noon' in the midst of McCarthyism. I'm dissecting this to such an extent because, while I applaud anyone who takes on interesting and esoteric subjects, I'm just amazed how the NPR treatment tends to end up with such a low common denominator. But of course that's expecting too much. Well, you can't please every listener, that's for sure, but the poor quality of many of their cultural probings is only indicative of the limitations of the personnel involved. That's only one reason why I don't treat NPR News as a finger-on-the-pulse cultural source. As we know, good and valuable cultural coverage certainly exists elsewhere on public radio, depending on the station. That’s why I’m referring specifically to NPR News here.

Style note: as I write this, I have ATC on in the background. Missy Melissa (Block) is interviewing the Gov. of Minnesota about the recent and awful bridge collapse. She is talking in a fairly normal, non-cutesy manner (mainly because she isn't smirk-smiling as usual while she's talking). Now this is a serious subject, so she's not acting overtly cute, which means, she can talk without affectation if she wants to. That's what I mean by NPR persons inflicting their personalities on listeners. It's not responsible broadcasting!!

Today's Verdict On NPR

The facts show that:
- NPR just isn't a dependable, reliable news source any more.
- Corporate and other influences have brought to bear their agendas on NPR.
- They no longer fulfill their public mandate.
- They cater to a select audience.
- They conduct themselves like a commercial operation.
- Their approach is personality-based rather than informational.
- They have fully embraced entertainment and other attention-getting devices in their news shows.
- Their use of consultants and contributors is extremely limited, and is indicative of specific agendas.
- Their interpretation of news stories is also indicative of specific agendas and outlooks.
- Their objectivity and neutrality is extremely questionable.

And that's just a mild, preliminary assessment.

Speaking for myself, NPR is not a valid news source. Rather, it has become a victim of its own dubious development, worthy only of critical observation, but not of serious consideration. Good and helpful offerings still exist on NPR, of course, but the overarching credibility which should be guiding it is gone.

The truth must be sought elsewhere.

This, This Mathew Continetti-Type Person

It's interesting how this dude, recently seen on C-SPAN, not only apes his care-giver Bill 'Howdy-Doody' Kristol's brain waves, he's even been very successful in adopting the same speaking mannerisms. Like, that obvious way he's restraining himself from becoming OVERTLY snotty, but rattling along in that fake-modesty style, hesitating oh-so-slightly, so that he won't come off as too conceited, while trying to act serious at the same time.

I'd like to put in a word about the term 'chickenhawk'. I know that when it is applied to abominations such as this Continetti person, it implies cowardice, and I totally agree. But in the bird world, a chickenhawk is an aggressive hawk that nabs chickens and the like. I prefer SISSYHAWK as a label for this guy. Sissyhawks are aggressive fakes that pride themselves on spewing gobbledegook, but in fact are deeply unhappy people who are inflicting their self-loathing on others with a vengeance. Fat Fluffy Freddie Kagan, who 'designed' the Surge Flop, is another. They tend to be verbally adept, at least by mainstream media standards ('just fill the time slot, baby. Oh, and be fluent . . .') and they attempt techniques of intellectual intimidation.

Matt Continetti - welcome to the media fast lane! And prepare to get seared, roasted, broasted and mocked into obscurity.

A Startling New Late-Date Strategy

Neocon Public Radio Makes Me A Sullen Camper. Or Does It?

Yeah, I know, why subject myself to National Public Radiation when it makes me so, so snarly? Maybe we can dispense with that question for the moment, because I don't have a good answer.

I may have said this before, but I think I have a higher tolerance right now because I have apparently 'evolved'. Not necessarily to a higher plane, but rather to a different stage of some kind. In short, I'm trying to look at NPR, the popular media, and the political scene in general with more of a scientific bent instead of an emotional one. If NPR be a mutating wad of smallpox cells down there in the Petri dish, well, I can certainly hover above it with magnifying glass and an eyedropper of bleach instead of planting my snout right into it and inhaling deeply, can't I? How else could the myriad of progressive observers, from David Corn to Chris Hedges to Noam Chomsky to Juan Cole handle the toxicity? They're scientists, that's how, and they're armed with the proper tools to not only protect themselves, but they're well prepared in keeping certain epidemics at bay. At least they’re trying to.

There's so much excellent and purposeful progressive material out there today, from books and articles to interviews and documentaries, that the right wingers can't keep up with all of it, and they certainly can't prove hardly any of it wrong. They just continue what they've always done: keeping truths obfuscated and keeping the fear up through sensationalism, denial, banal language, and basic lying.

One of the reasons I follow NPR is that it's certainly accessible and convenient. That's why radio found its place in the media world a long time ago. Tech development has essentially topped out, so it's all about content. That's one of the principal reasons why NPR was hijacked by the corporate world, aided and abetted by the neocon superstructure of like-minded groups and individuals. From my slightly-more-than-casual absorption of NPR, I think that neocon interests (a general term, naturally) have appropriated NPR simply because it reaches a demographic group which they covet. We know that neocon theory sprang from academia, but only a small wedge of it. In the 'lunge' mentality of corporate greed, (that wants what it wants and it wants it NOW), the hijacking of NPR has been very effective in wriggling its way into the educated elite of America that still purportedly 'thinks'. For those of you out there who work in academia (or 'academe', as the cooler ones say), how often do you hear 'I heard it on NPR . . .' as opposed to 'I saw it on Fox News . . .'?

Anyway, I get the feeling that neocon interests are very serious about roping in the middle class higher-educated crowd, not so much the frustrated and aging baby boomers (although they're handy for becoming more conservative the older they get), but of course the younger ones, who are infinitely more malleable and comfortable with a 'dumber-downed' society. After all, tomorrow belongs to them.

On the other hand, we could soon encounter a full-blown Iraq Effect, in which a whole damaged generation of young people finds itself compelled to go in different directions than any neocon or corporate entity wants. We shall see what that might entail soon enough, I should think . . .

And now for some petty little NPR-isms from recent mornings:

Saturday: Scott Simon interviewed Al Gore and showed himself to be much cooler than Ozone Man (remember that?) could ever be. I can't imagine squandering an opportunity to have a meaningful interview more. Scottie's in his own world, and more criticism than usual must be getting to him, because he's more and more defensive all the time. I notice that he closed his commentary segment with 'an old friend' singing lyrics about the Chicago Cub(bies) not having won a pennant 'since we dropped the bomb on Japan'. We're supposed to chuckle, of course. 'They chuckle,' Wallace Shawn rightly pointed out, when he was referring to neocons, Bushoids, and other sociopaths, who are so out of touch with reality that Marie Antoinette appears a radical socialist. Like the Wizard of Oz, they chuckle at catastrophe. But as we found out, the Wizard was only a man behind a curtain.

Sunday: Scott Horsely did a piece on Ghouliani in Florida, that was nothing short of a love-fest. To say that the mayor 'stood up to terrorism' as a pat explanation for his virtue to be president, was nothing more than a sycophant's planning ahead to make a bid for the press secretary slot in a Rudy Administration. Ghouliani did nothing that a reasonably competent person in the mayorship wouldn't have done in a 9/11 situation. Nothing. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that he mucked much of it up. Obfuscation . . . keep the fear up . . . wah-de-doo-dah . . .

Doyle McManus from the 'LA Times' is one of many who are STILL making a big deal out of how long Bill Clinton's speeches were. They are still so bemused. Who says Attention Deficit Disorder is limited to little kids? He also referred to the ex-pres as 'too big to hide'. Uh, was he referring to Bill's (much trimmer) physical bulk, or his political standing? Funny! Funny! Droll. But funny! He recited this little quip with a smile on his face, and it had a rather smuggy effect that always seems to -

[INTERJECTION: MY SCIENTIFIC APPROACH EVAPORATES AND MY EMOTIONS OF TURMOIL RETURN WHENEVER I HEAR NPR PERSONS GO ON SPEAKING WHEN THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE A SMILE ON THEIR FACE; THE SELF-PLEASURING THEY ARE INFLICTING ON WE LISTENERS IS NOTHING SHORT OF PERVERSE; I CAN DISSECT THIS ISSUE NO FURTHER NOW - I MUST RETURN TO 'SCIENTIFIC' MODE!!]

Ahem - well, those darn NPR-oids really know how to bug me, don't they? As Bush Senior would say in that slightly delicate way he had, 'Well for heaven's sake!'

Anyway, another thing: NPR's 'FBI Correspondent' Dina Temple-Raston tells Bob Smith about British surveillance cameras. She mentioned that sometimes such cameras can be used for spotting 'hot-looking women' and 'very good-looking' young ladies! She also said that 'the film' in video cameras can be used at evidence. Film/video - get it? Petty, I know.
Comical, though.

Lastly: I get such a kick - in fact, it makes me CHUCKLE - when some reporter or expert is about to deliver or has just delivered his/her spiel on some horrible, horrible subject, (say, Afghan civilians getting blown apart by US - er, NATO - air raids, or somethin' like that . . .) and when they're thanked for their contribution, they say 'My pleasure'. Ah, the pure pleasure of being in the Olympian clouds of today's exciting world of journalism!

- later

Spending The 4th At NPR

I was half asleep when NPR did their patriotic duty and divvied up the Declaration of Independence for recitation amongst its usual all-stars. They read their bits with a self-importance that was, well, very NPR-like. Predictable, to say the least.

Anyway, a friend of mine, who listened more carefully than I did, noted that many of the complaints about George III, which make up much of the Declaration, can be handily applied to our own modern day (King) George. She wondered if some of the readers, judging from the tone of their voices, were picking up on this irony. Could there be a few covert 'liberals' at NPR, who exercise their subversive agendas by injecting a little sly 'satire' here and there?

It was all an early morning blur. Truth to tell, I was subconsciously distracted by the term 'Nina Totenbag', which was, I think, being marketed before all those references to the Kings George.

One admirable moment occurred amidst this dreary NPR soup. A marine who'd been in Iraq read his poem, 'The Cat'. It was simple, moving and profound in its anti-war message. After he finished the reading, all empty-headed Renee said was, 'Thank you for reading that.' Her use of the word 'that' to refer to this sensitive and powerful poem struck me as dismissive rather than appreciative. I guess this awkwardness was better than having her make some banal comment. Better to be left with the poem's power, and its message than to be returned to NPReality, with a thud. The inevitable musical interlude (which are more obnoxiously pushy than they used to be, no doubt to attract hipper listeners) accomplished that task without any voice pollution.

It was a few days before the 4th, but I can't leave off without commenting on Scott Simon's eagerly-anticipated return to Weekend Edition Saturday. We knew he'd have something to say about the joys of being an adoptive dad for the second time. We knew that it would be syrupy, perhaps intolerably so. We were right. Only Scottie can turn something wonderful into something so - so, I don't know - repulsive.

One good thing about Morning Edition: it's all over by 8AM at the latest. You can get on with your day with a spring in your step because, by surviving it, you actually dodge a bullet. You didn't commit some act of rage or crack open a bottle of Smirnoff as means of reaction or escape. You simply walk away.

And Paul Came Once More Unto His Homeland

From the World Bank to the American Enterprise Institute, Wolfie now hangs his comb amongst hearty comrades.

The AEI: where homely, unsavory ersatz 'intellectuals' can gather, pose, preen, and indulge in their fascist fantasies, realizing them through mafia tactics via bozos like Dubya & Co., who are easy pushovers as far as the neocons are concerned. The stupefying egotism of Wolfie and his kind truly smacks of delusional grandeur. Like Hitler (everyone's favorite Worst Person Ever comparison), the neocons' 'philosophy' remains mired in primitive mediocrity, where banal and recessive 'theorizing', based on sullen revenge and greed, is grossly mistaken for forward-thinking preservation and protection policy.

Watch out: now Paulie can collude with Fat Fluffy Freddy Kagan (the bestest-selling 'author' of The Surge), on their next Excellent Psychopathic Adventure: to take a dump in Ahmadinejad's private toilet, and then order the former President of Iran to flush it. Think of the glory!

Would you buy a used war from this man?:

http://www.aei.org/scholars/filter.all,scholarID.99/scholar.asp

Cute, ain't he? And so well-spoken, too! I hope he and Paul don't get too jealous of one another. The business of dictating policy to the Bushoids probably gets pretty rivalrous sometimes. But hell, Paul's got so much experience under his belt (which supports hidden body armor at all times), he'll no doubt outclass Fat Freddy every time.

You CAN go home again, Paul. Come, take up the President's ear once again, and change the world!

Coming To The Vast Sudan: NeoCon NeoColonialism!

I

Tuesday morn and another Gwen Thompkins item on NPR's 'Morning Edition. I'll try to be brief. Her 'notebook' story's premise: her passport was kept for a long time in a small town in Sudan, and jazz music from New Orleans saved the day. Why I find her reports troubling: Gwen herself perfectly embodies the NPR target audience. Educated, with grad degrees, comfortable income, plus, a well-cultivated Amero-centric point of view. That last bit is the real problem, and it's so glaring in her reports. Thing is, listeners are supposed to 'identify' with her, and in the process, objective journalism is abandoned. Colloquializing the world at large for this specific audience is not only imprudent, it is a recipe for disaster. This approach also fits well with the neo-con vision of the world, the sinister elements of which seek to take advantage of these supposedly 'informed' listeners. Subject for a thesis, I guess, but when I hear reports such as Thompkins makes from such a troubled area of the world, its frighteningly easy to identify trouble in the making.

II

Just another observation about Gwen Thompkins' Amero-centric expectations. She seemed incredulous that no one in a small town in Sudan (that she talked to) was familiar with jazz music.

Hell, I was talking to an all-American 20 year-old student the other day, and I happened to mention Jerry Lewis (the still-active comedian, not the congressman). 'Who's that?' they replied. I also heard of a survey that was taken in the UK in which it was found that more young people were familiar with Sinatra than they were with Mick Jagger. The Info Age has its quirks!


Naive Amero-centrics are always blown away when they find their much-vaunted culture isn't quite as widespread as they thought it was. That aside, there is a subtext that I get from Thompkins' reports. It creaks of neo-con colonialism. These benighted people do not have jazz. We will bring it to them. They do not have democracy. We will bring it to them. Whether they want it or not, because we know best.

Additionally, there is another factor regarding Sudan. I read in Robert Young Pelton's 'The World's Most Dangerous Places' that Sudan is sitting on a vast reserve of oil. If that's true, get set for another neo-con petri dish to be opened up.

NPR: A Place For Fun-Loving Prigs...and Others

I must vent!
My Reprehensible Reporting Award of the Month (soon it will be 'of the Day', then 'of the Hour'...) goes to: Gwen Thompkins. Famous for her genial and chucklesome reports from that Annexation-In-Waiting to the Axis of Evil, Sudan, I was truly disgusted with her comic book portrayal this morning of a security conference in Khartoum. Readers can hear it for themselves on today's Morning Edition website, because there's no reason to describe it all here. She tries to be funny (why is EVERYONE trying to be FUNNY these days??) by waxing wry about a few things (and playful, too!), then, with all the inconsistency of a Dan Quayle speech, decides when to be properly sober, just to satisfy the NPR quota for 'seriousness' as an appropriate tone for a report from a 'serious' part of the world - you know, Darfur and all that stuff...
Predictably, this excreta was set up by Steev 'n Renayy, with all the self-amused priggishness to be found in many of their white yuppie/baby-boomer listeners.
To me they were communicating something like: 'Now, get a load of what those bozos in icky Sudan are up to! It's quite amusing...'
My dog vomits up far more acceptable discharge than this brain-dead 'infotainment'.

In the same show, I was reminded yet again how limited the range of demographics of the NPR listenship is (that's GOOD, isn't it?). Even though NPR boasts of getting letters/call-ins from truck driver types, I can't conceive of it being of much use to blue collar listeners. NPR has always been content to write them off to the nether realms of talk radio, while preferring to woo persons of higher quality - and income.

At any rate, there was a segment about what to do about having a new boss in the workplace. Nothing too terrible in itself, but it was so blithely exclusive as far as its audience was concerned (upper echelon office types), it was just another example of NPR's self-absorbed aspirations. But at the end of the piece, after one of Steav's jackass-laughing fits, he makes a bid to remind us that NPR is still of The People when he announces that Terry Semel of Yahoo's salary last year was in the 70 millions, and the implication was 'that's rather excessive'.
End of venting. Thank you for your patience, understanding - and pity.

Distillation of Truth: The Flowering of the American Empire

You can see how a certain element in the American culture is fascinated and seduced by Empire. The glory of it all, just the idea of it, not the realities - that's what hooks people. As Chalmers Johnson said, America is sacrificing its democracy for Empire.
'Hermetically sealed' bases within Iraq for decades to come will fool dumbed-down Americans into the notion that we aren't REALLY an empire. Beware the terms bandied about. A big part of the crap shoot of the Bush Administration is that they're going for Empire NOW, before someone else gets the prizes. I think that was a BIG incentive behind invading Iraq, not the laughable Wolfowitless ‘idealism’ of bringing democracy to the benighted or the WMD burlesque…
Call me ‘over the top’, but are they kidding with this crap . . . ?

The Gruesome Truth About Slam-Dunk