Most agree that President Bush bears the greatest responsibility for the catastrophe of the Iraq war. He was the key decision maker at every point (at least I hope that we can assume this). And he’s fundamentally accountable. But if you look into the innards of the process that led to war there, there is probably no one more responsible for, or involved with, poor planning relating to Iraq than Doug Feith. You’d think someone such as Mr. Feith would be keeping a low profile. But in fact he’s got a book out explaining how Iraq was a great idea, how nothing was his fault, and essentially blaming his enemies. “Trainwreck” may be an overused term, but in this video we have a chance to look at some choice moments from Feith’s book release media tour, where he explains how most of the country got the whole thing all wrong. Watch the video.

The video:

Which of these two scenarios is more likely? A.) The US, and it’s past foreign policy toward Arabs in this world is at least partly responsible for what happened on Sept 11, 2001, or B.) the Catholic Church is who is characterized by the “great whore” of the Book of Revelation?

If you believe that option A is possible, then you agree with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. If you can stomach option B, then you agree with Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s pastor, the Rev. John Hagee.

Don’t think I need to suggest that option B is going to be repulsive to Catholics.

Option A is may not be politically correct to ask, but consider the fact that President Bush may currently be angering a whole new generation of Arabs, with 1+ million innocent deaths (by some estimates) as a result of the Iraq war.

If John McCain’s pastor, Rev. John Hagee, stated what he did about the Catholic Church, even connecting them to Adolf Hitler, why can’t I find one single article on the CNN Politics page as of 5/4/2008 1:02 PM EST that addresses Rev. Hagee’s position, or questions John McCain’s affiliation with Rev. Hagee, or finds John McCain guilty by association w/ Rev. Hagee? Read this morning’s the NY Times article here describing Rev. Hagee’s views, and his association with John McCain. Also, watch Rev. Hagee talk about the Catholic Church here on YouTube.

I watched the Arianna Huffington interview on Charlie Rose a few days ago. You really have to love Charlie Rose and the intellectual integrity he represents amidst a sea of Jerry Springer-like, sensational and biased news media here in the US. Here’s a question for you: click here and then here and let know how long it takes you to tell the difference? Compare to this, and you’re task becomes more difficult yet. I frequent HuffingtonPost.com as well as BBCnews.com, to escape the 24-7 Rev Wright, kindergarten siege of mainstream US news coverage.

Listening to President Bush is painful on so many levels. I just finished wincing through his news conference with the White House press corps. When asked about high gas prices, he claimed that the problem resides with Congress, stating that an expansion of domestic oil production is the answer, and that they’re holding it up. Allowing new refineries on US soil came up. He’s presumably also talking about drilling (i.e., “destroying Alaska for 10 barrels of oil” all over again?). You’ll be happy to know however that the problem is not related to oil companies and their record profits. Boy, I’m glad he cleared that up. For a moment, I had let my common sense overrule the trust I should have had all along in President Bush and vice Cheney, stupidly assuming that record profits in a time of economic crisis was criminal. Dumb me!

Similar to Bush’s answer to the same issue in the past, he again excused big oil. Remember when Bush stated not so long ago that these record profits were “perfectly normal in this economic environment”?

What I really don’t understand is why the Democratically controlled Congress doesn’t rain hell down on these oil companies? Can’t they schedule hearings from morning to night? Don’t they control the floor? Dumb me again, athletes on steroids trump. No wonder their approval ratings are lower than the President’s.

Do you ever have the feeling that the American people have been sold out from top to bottom? This is why I support Obama. Even if what they say about his inexperience is true (I don’t believe it, but ‘even if’…), you really have to ask if that isn’t a *good* thing. Look at all these *experienced* schmucks currently in office. Too experienced if you ask me. Every time I see Levin presiding over a hearing in Congress, it’s deja vu. Wasn’t he the guy that we threw out of the majority so many years ago? Why are we even having to see his do nothing face again? I’m an equal opportunity ‘throw the bums out’ advocate. I would rather see people in elected office that aren’t *experienced* in selling out.

A long time ago, when I lived 40hrs per week or more in a cubical, an older coworker once admonished me with these words: “Cary, you need to be right in the middle.. You don’t want to be too far left or too far right.. both are equally screwed up.” I’ve come to believe that this is right on.

It can be tough to find political candidates of like mind. True moderates are hard to come by — there are many extremists in mainstream politics. And human nature seems to always play a role no matter what idealistic notion a political party is supposed to represent. Take the Republican party as of late. Their lot seems to be dishonesty, greed and hypocrisy. For years Republicans have used the ‘tax and spend’ mantra to describe Democrats, but as of late they have no problem sinking the people of this country into inconceivable debt as they sell our dollars off cheaply to China to fund war (dishonest war). In the process, large war contractors benefit but no one else. Who pays ultimately? Should be obvious. Not Bush. Long after the Bushies, Cheneys, and Rumsfelds of the world are kicking back in cushy retirement from the hell that they’ve created, we’ll pay. Dearly. Not to mention the lives that these ignorant men have wasted to no good end.

That said, on the other side of the isle you have another problem. I once heard someone say that if you put 10 Democrats into a room and ask any question, you’ll get 15 opinions. And I have to suggest that this is the Dems biggest problem. Democrats can’t seem to agree on anything. They’re their own worst enemy. Take this Democratic presidential primary. What is the end game for the Clinton camp, and the Dem voters who, through their oblivious voting choices, keep this thing going? If candidate Clinton somehow manages to pry the nomination from Obama’s cold, dead fingers, I can’t imagine what the Democratic convention will look like. The move will almost surely be perceived by 50% of the electorate as if she stole it, and they’ll just go bonkers.

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.”

If she doesn’t win, and she protracts this battle so that Obama has little general election campaign time, McCain looking presidential the whole time, and damages Obama in the process, then if he loses the general election for *whatever* reason, even if he would have lost *anyway*, who do you think is going to be blamed? No matter what, the Clintons will be blamed. That aside, though the upside to the latter scenario is that egocentric Clinton will become the new Nader, the sad part is that in the final analysis the Dems will have still lost.

Must give Obama credit for the ‘high road’ approach to campaigning he’s taken, being effectively the anti-Clinton. Yes, they’re both politicians, and yes she is behind so she probably feels the Clintonian call to do anything to save her presidential soul (a Clinton never loses, so expect her next move to be to going postal w/ her “grandfather’s guns”).