U.S. crumbles while Bush pedals

The New York Times seems to have finally picked up on the Downing Street memo story (emphasis mine):

The British government has not disputed the authenticity of the British memorandum, written by Matthew Rycroft, a top foreign policy aide to Mr. Blair. A spokesman for Mr. Blair has said that the memorandum does not add significantly to previous accounts of decision making before the war.

Well, of course not. Anyone with half a brain knew, deep down, that Bush was war-mongering and had no intent of resolving the matter diplomatically. The problem is that the administration lied to the American people and the Congress, repeatedly by asserting that the president would pursue all diplomatic means, and that war was a last resort. The reason that this story hasn't gained more legs is that it is largely a dog-bites-man story as perceived by anyone with half a brain. But, that's the problem. The press seems uninterested in pursuing the basic underlying fact that Bush and his war-mongering administration took the nation to war on a pack of lies, exerted influence on the intellegence community to produce the "facts" that supported their unjust invasion that has resulted in the deaths of over 1,600 U.S. troops and countless thousands of Iraqis.

The White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, told reporters on Tuesday that the White House saw 'no need' to respond to the Democratic letter. Current and former Bush administration officials have sought to minimize the significance of the memorandum, saying it is based on circumstantial observations and does not purport to be an authoritative account of American decision making.

What hubris. These people make me ill. The drum-beat is beginning to crescendo for action against Syria and/or Iran. These people need to be stopped before they ruin this nation permanently (assuming, of course, that they haven't done so already).

Fortunately, the Republican party seems to be self-destructing. Their craven pursuit of power has lead them to be held captive by the Evangelical "Christian" right (who are not remotely Christian in either their words or deeds) who seek to turn this country into a religious state against the will of the silent majority. Bush continues to hammer away at his initiative to dismantle Social Security (day 79 of a 60 day campaign) completely oblivious to the polls that demonstrate that the majority of Americans do not trust his and the Republican Majority's intentions. The Republican leadership in the Senate, goaded controlled by the evangelical right wingnuts, is hell bent on undoing 214 years of the rule of law (how many times have we heard that phrase from the Republicans? Seems it only applies when it suits them) thus turning the Senate into a rubber-stamp for a fascist regime. The economy is suffering greatly -- the debt is mounting faster than it can be counted. The trade deficit, especially with China, is spinning out of control to the point that foriegn investment in U.S. Government Treasury notes has tanked. The world simply no longer sees the U.S. Government as a worthwhile investment. Gas prices are at all-time highs, placing increasing pressure on our economy. All the while, Bush is doing nothing. He wishes he had a magic wand that he could wave to make it better. Give me a break.

I believe that the saying: "Rome burned while Nero fiddled" will soon be replaced with "the U.S. crumbles while Bush pedals".

Fortunately, the Amercian people seem to be unpersuaded by the Republican doublespeak. Fully 78% believe that the Senate should be an independent body that cannot be completely controlled by the majority when it comes to judicial appointment advice and consent. Only 40% of Americans think that the Republicans should retain control over both houses after the 2006 mid-term elections. They have not been bamboozled by Bush's Social Security "reform" proposals by 59% to 31% margin. I believe that the polls reflected a similar 78% opposition to Congress's intervention in the Terri Sciavo case.

One can only hope that the Republican self-destructive behavior continues and that the American public does not suffer amnesia in Nov 2006. This country is in dire need of at least one of the houses of Congress to be released from Republican domination so that we can finally get some serious investigation into the abuses of power by this administration.