As FEARmongering reaches a crescendo in our nation one cannot help but wonder...is Bush addicted to WAR in the same manner he was addicted to alcohol until rescued by "Jesus" at age forty?

As right-wingers, both in the U.S. and Israel, play the drums of WAR, Julius Cesar's words come to mind:

>>Beware the leader who bangs the drums of
war in order to whip the citizenry into a
patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a
double-edged sword. It both emboldens the
blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when
the drums of war have reached a fevered pitch
and the blood boils with hate and the mind
has closed, the leader will have no need in
seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the
citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by
patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto
the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For
this is what I have done. And I am Caesar. -
Julius Caesar

And the words of another individual who suffered from delusions of grandeur also come to mind:

>>I shall give a propagandist cause for starting the war.
Never mind whether it is plausible or not. The victor will
not be asked, later on, whether he told the truth or not.
In starting and waging a war, it is not Right that matters
but Victory. Have no pity. Adopt a brutal attitude...
Right is on the side of the strongest.
--Adolph Hitler, 09/22/39, Speech to high officers<<
Support for war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan was, rightly, almost universal after 9/11. However, now that the military action has been restricted to special operations that take place largely behind the scenes he is clearly missing his role as Commander-in-Mischief.

Since Osama is nowhere to be found....Bush decided to change horses in midstream and Saddam clearly became a more accessible target.

Given that there is NO proof that Saddam was implicated in the assault on our nation on 9/11, it is only fair to ask....WHY has he become the target d' jour given that he has been contained for over a decade?

And, given that both Reagan and Bush SUPPORTED Saddam during the eighties, why are they suddenly "outraged" that the guy attacked his neighbors given that much of the war materiel at his disposal was provided by the good ol' U.S.A.?

And, if containment worked against the Soviets, WHY shouldn't it work against Iraq?

It has become increasingly clear that after Bush CAVED to Sharon and added Palestinian freedom fighters to his list of terrorists, U.S. foreign policy is being devised in TelAviv as right-wingers in Israel and their U.S. cohorts [Perle, Wolfowitz, Libby, Feith among others] have finally achieved their objetive, namely, to drag the U.S. into THEIR war.

With Bibi Netanyahu traveling across our country in his role as Minister of DISinformation...right-wingers are clearly determined to bring Israeli PARANOIA to our shores.

Thanks, but...NO thanks!

Why the sudden OBSESSION with going after Saddam you say? The answer is two-fold:

It's OIL stupid!

It's GREATER Israel stupid!

Now that the "Bush/Sharon Axis" has been established, the so-called "war" on terrorism will be widened to accommodate the WAR for oil given that the U.S. is governed by the OIL industry as represented by Bush jr and Cheney otherwise known as Mr. Harken and Mr. Halliburton.

In addition, the Israeli premiership is in the hands of a right-winger whose interest lies in diverting attention from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and creating a "greater Israel" using American BLOOD to achieve his objectives.

In short, right-wingers in Israel and the U.S. have formed an alliance that will lead to full Israeli participation in the military assault on Iraq, regardless of actions/INactions Saddam may take vis-a-vis Israel.

By the time members of the "Bush/Sharon Axis" achieve their objectives, the relatively peaceful world of the Clinton years will be remembered as a wonderful but short-lived dream since they will have antagonized friend and foe alike to the point that a major BLOODY conflict will be inevitable:

Washington Post Staff Writers - Sunday, September 15, 2002

In Iraqi War Scenario, Oil Is Key Issue - U.S. Drillers Eye Huge Petroleum Pool By Dan Morgan and David B. Ottaway

A U.S.-led ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein could open a bonanza for American oil companies long banished from Iraq, scuttling oil deals between Baghdad and Russia, France and other countries, and reshuffling world petroleum markets, according to industry officials and leaders of the Iraqi opposition.

Although senior Bush administration officials say they have not begun to focus on the issues involving oil and Iraq [JOKE!] , American and foreign oil companies have already begun maneuvering for a stake in the country's huge proven reserves of 112 billion barrels of crude oil, the largest in the world outside Saudi Arabia.

Positioning of U.S. and foreign oil companies has already begun since everyone seems convinced that the "train has left the station and is headed toward Iraq," regardless of the Shrub's protestations to the contrary.

"Indeed, the mere prospect of a new Iraqi government has fanned concerns by non-American oil companies that they will be excluded by the United States, which almost certainly would be the dominant foreign power in Iraq in the aftermath of Hussein's fall. Representatives of many foreign oil concerns have been meeting with leaders of the Iraqi opposition to make their case for a future stake and to sound them out about their intentions.

Since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, companies from more than a dozen nations, including France, Russia, China, India, Italy, Vietnam and Algeria, have either reached or sought to reach agreements in principle to develop Iraqi oil fields, refurbish existing facilities or explore undeveloped tracts. Most of the deals are on hold until the lifting of U.N. sanctions.

But Iraqi opposition officials made clear in interviews last week that they will not be bound by any of the deals."

Hopefully, the day will come soon when right-wing bullies, both in the U.S. and Israel, are sent back home to pasture....before the whole world explodes in flames.

Tlhe TRUTH is soooooo...refreshing.

Finding a journalist willing to tell the TRUTH these days is not an easy chore. Consequently, when a courageous individual is willing to speak out...it is a truly remarkable feat.

Karen Armstrong is such an individual and she writes as follows:

"Muslim extremists are opposed not to American freedom but to the foreign policy of the United States, which, rightly or wrongly, they have experienced as invasive and aggressive.

They cite American support for despotic rulers, and Americans' apparent indifference to the plight of Muslims in Palestine or in Iraq, where thousands of children have died as a result of U.S.-led sanctions. A military attack on Iraq, with yet more civilian deaths, might unseat Saddam Hussein. But it would also exacerbate the fear and rage that fuel terrorism."

Ms. Armstrong understands that the war against HATRED can NOT be won by triggering more hatred.

She also understands that callous and shortsighted policies such as those implemented by the Nixon-Kissinger and Reagan-Poppy administrations are sure to BACKFIRE:

"Bitter experience shows that it was a terrible mistake to support the shahs of Iran, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden to achieve short-term goals."

Unfortunately, members of the "Bush/Sharon Axis" presently in power, are determined to pursue the same strategies that have led to much resentment and hatred in the past that reached a crescendo on 9/11.

It was NO accident that the Mother of All Terrorist Assaults on our nation took place when individuals whose names are the most hated in the region were allowed to assume the reins of power in the U.S. and Israel.

Robert G. Kaiser, writes an insightful article in the Washington Post proving that there are still a few intelligent and honest individuals in our nation who are willing to tell the "truth and nothing but the truth."

Mr. Kaiser realizes that the whole picture changed when Bush CAVED to Sharon's demands and added Palestinian "freedom fighters" to his list of terrorists: "But the most important decision that fed our allies' anxiety about revived American unilateralism was last June's change of course on the Middle East."

In the months that followed, Shrubites embraced the strategy advocated by members of the "Bush/Sharon Axis," headed by Sharon, Netanyahu, Perle and Wolfowitz and...voila...the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was removed from the front pages and replaced by...Saddam Hussein and, predictably, call for another...WAR!

In the best tradition of right-wingers, the ARROGANCE and self-righteousness of members of the "Bush/Sharon Axis" have triggered resentment by friend and foe alike.

Mr. Kaiser writes: "What is the purpose of poking an American finger in the eye of just about every country in the world? What does the administration hope to gain by emphasizing unilateral options, from declaring war without Congress to telling other nations to sign up or get out of the way? Does such bullying ever pay off in politics, domestic or international?"

Again, Mr. Kaiser realizes that the Administration "changed horses in midstream" and, instead of following its war against the Taliban an al Qaeda with a "Marshall Plan II," it changed direction and pointed its guns toward Iraq instead.

For reasons that escape me, right-wingers, both in Israel and the U.S., seem convinced that the war against HATRED can be won by triggering more hatred:

"Multilateralism was critical to the administration's early successes in the war on terrorism, which makes it all the more surprising that the Bush administration abandoned it so quickly. Beginning with the December decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a succession of policy choices revived the administration's reputation for unilateralism and infuriated old allies. Why did this happen?

The answer begins with the White House itself. If we know remarkably little about al Qaeda, we should also acknowledge ignorance about many of the inner workings of the administration. This is a secretive American government."

Again, Mr. Kaiser is right-on-the-mark. Bush, a guy SElected by five U.S. Supremes to sit in the Oval office, transformed his Administration into the most SECRETIVE in modern U.S. history.

Hopefully, the American people will WAKE UP before it is too late. "Crusaders," particularly those intent on proving they are not wimps, are VERY dangerous and arrogant individuals.

President Clinton...a man who GETS IT!

In a speech delivered in Santa Ana, CA he stated:

The question, he said, is do "you want to run the world of the 21st century or do you want to lead the world? There's a big difference."

Clearly, that is a message that members of the Bush/Sharon Axis will never understand.

How to make ENEMIES and LOSE influence in the world is, seemingly, Bush's mantra.

In an article entitled: "Diplomatic Gap Between U.S., Its Allies Widens" written by Glenn Kessler and published in the Washinton Post, Bush states:

"At West Point in June, Bush offered a dramatically different vision. He claimed the right to preemptively attack any nation that the United States deems a threat while at the same time suggesting the creation of an international system without great power rivalry -- but dominated by the might of the United States. "America has, and intends to keep, military strengths beyond challenge, thereby making the destabilizing arms races of other eras pointless, and limiting rivalries to trade and other pursuits of peace," Bush said."

If the Bush administration's policy is to trigger growing HATRED against the U.S., he couldn't have made a more effective statement.

Egypt's foreign minister has it right when he states:

"This administration has too many ideologues and too many people that come with baggage. They come with an ideology that is confrontational, that is 100 percent sure of its righteousness," said Maher, the Egyptian foreign minister. The country is "so sure of its power and concentrated on itself that concentration does not allow it to perceive its own interests. Stability in the world. Rules that everybody abides by. That is in the interests of the U.S."

The sympathy the world had shown for the U.S. after 9/11 has practically evaporated as a result of the ARROGANCE displayed by right-wing members of the "Bush/Sharon Axis" who talk about "consultation" but... firmly REJECT the advice of even the U.S.'s closest allies.

I cannot think of a single nation, with the exception of Israel, that has supported the pre-emptive military action against Iraq.

Bibi Netanyahu clearly enunciated the policies presently being pursued by Bushites a few months ago. Having CAVED to Sharon, Bush and his right-wing cohorts decided to pursue the strategy proposed by TelAviv, namely, to restructure the region in THEIR image by getting rid of leaders who are in their way, regardless of consequences.

To think that Bush junior, an individual who never expressed the slightest interest in foreign policy and didn't realize until age FORTY that living in a constant state of alcoholic stupor is stupid, is the guy in charge of making such a momentous decision as leading this great nation into an UNprovoked war....is mindboggling.

And, finally, the question that remains to be answered is: WHY is an ex-alcoholic allowed to have his finger on the nuclear trigger?