The means justify the ends, doncha know?

The world is a better place without Saddam, and the world is a better place with US military near the second largest oil reserves in the Middle East. Do you want bin Laden controlling all that oil? We can't expect Jane and Joe Mainstreet to understand all the geopolitical complexity and realpolitik rationales for invading Iraq. Isn't it enough that honorable men, Bush and Cheney and Rummy and Wolfowitz and Powell, know what's in America's best interest and are willing to do whatever it takes to protect our interests, including (but not limited to) kinda making stuff up about why Iraq was so darned dangerous?

Meantime, the Persians are even more dangerous and shifty-eyed because they're less brown and Arab-esque, so we might let our guard down. Anyow, because this report is all too confusing for those of us who don't have access to the actual intelligence, we have Stephen Hadley to explain it all to us:

"It confirms that we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons,” Mr. Hadley said. "It tells us that we have made progress in trying to ensure that this does not happen. But the intelligence also tells us that the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a very serious problem."

In other words, this little intra-agency squabble changes nothing. Duly elected Bush/Cheney are still the deciderers and they are not swayed by polls, worldwide protests, or National Intelligence Estimates. If they have to, they'll go all Tonkin Gulf on the bit, and not a thing we can do about it.

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Really? The President of Iran thinks that the 12 Imam will come back if he (the President) creates a world-wide apocalypse, and it's this country that is run by the crazy man? Anyone who cannot tell the difference between thee President of Iran and any one of the Presidents of the U.S. is themselves crazy. Unless you do know the difference, in which case you're evil.

I love that you quote at the end one of the most notorious liars in the history of anthropology, Tinfoil Hat Boy.

Thank you for commenting, Troy. Your comment is important to us. Please do not hesitate to comment again.

We. Are. Going. To. Die. We must restore hope in the world. We must bring forth a new way of living that can sustain the world. Or else it is not just us who will die but everyone. What have we got to lose? Go forth and Fight!—Xan

as do all his co-warmongers. LIES. here it is, plain and simple, no getting around it. just as the war is based on lies, and reports of the occupation's "progress" are lies, the call to exand it is equally based on falsehood.

so of course he's got to toss around a little misdirection and invective. so predictable. more interesting trolls, please.

It's not misdirection to say that the President of Iran is trying to create an apocalypse. I'm just saying that our rhetoric should more closely resemble reality. I'm no fan of GWB, but he's not crazy, and he cannot be compared to Iran's President. Did GWB lie? Well, hussein DID gas his own people repeatedly, and Hussein himself kept saying he has WMDs. But never mind the facts over here, right?

and we should just let it go and pity him. i feel sorry for you, troy. you should try to live your life with less hate, and fear.

Say it louder, please.

Oh, and sixteen behavioral characteristics of a psychopath:

1. Superficial charm and good "intelligence"
2. Absence of delusions and other signs of irrational thinking
3. Absence of "nervousness" or psychoneurotic manifestations
4. Unreliability
5. Untruthfulness and insincerity
6. Lack of remorse and shame
7. Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior
8. Poor judgment and failure to learn by experience
9. Pathologic egocentricity and incapacity for love
10. General poverty in major affective reactions
11. Specific loss of insight
12. Unresponsiveness in general interpersonal relations
13. Fantastic and uninviting behavior with drink and sometimes without
14. Suicide rarely carried out
15. Sex life impersonal, trivial, and poorly integrated
16. Failure to follow any life plan

I can't really comment on the interpersonal relations or sex life stuff, but Mr. Bush qualifies on a lot of fronts, and this is just based on public incidents that readily come to mind.

But wait! Look over there! A brown person is CRAZY!

Margaret Mead is the worst person in the universe after Hillary