I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Let Slip the Dogs of War

Here's a word you'll find used in the coming campaign, consiglieri (because I need to show my writer credentials sometime today, might as well get them out early, even if it's a political post). Or at least if the term isn't used, you'll see and hear from a lot of them this fall.

Well, Mitt Romney is acting as the Republican VP Candidate, which means he's on the attack (the traditional VP role in elections). His latest tirade (which I'll label as the "Oh noes, wheeze all gonna die if you don't vote for us," speeches) has two gems, that electing Obama will weaken our economy and national defense.

Oh really Mr. Romney? You mean the economy could get much worse (well, I guess it could, but it would take a lot of work)? The Republicans have been in charge of Congress for 12 of the past 14 years, and in charge of the Whitehouse for 7 years. Just WTF has the wonderful "Fiscally Conservative Party" done for our national economy, budget deficit and debt over the past 7 years? Why did the Bush Treasury not publish the basic facts about our monetary supply for most of this year? Why are they, in the face of massive deficits, still touting tax cuts when it's already been pointed out that while revenues did go up, that's only because the economy did slightly better for two years after the tax cuts (and included the year after the tax cuts as the base line, that's sadistic statistics, revenues are back down, btw)? That's a short lived economic benefit, and one that most economists say the tax cuts had nothing to do with. Time to point and laugh.

As to the second point? Are you safer? Do you feel safer than you did eight years ago? Before 9-11, before being fearful of Muslims and swarthy skinned people, before we diddled away world sympathy and support to invade Iraq, and now after we haven't killed Bin Ladin, broken al Qaeda, let Russia regain their druthers (to the point of docking our relief ships to Georgia at a secondary port because we might have had to confront the Russian Black Sea Fleet if we had gone to the optimal port), watched as China flexed their muscles, revamped and modernized their military including their cyber warfare divisions, and sat on the sidelines as their "War on Terror" stalled out.

The Republicans fiddled while Rome burned. And how's the New American Century plan workin' out for you all? You know, the plan written back in '92 by Wolfowitz to invade Iraq and use the revenues from the oil to fund a restructuring of the Middle East (a plan repeated by VP Dick Cheney before the war).

Mr. Romney, sir, with all due respect, you may kiss my hairy, fat ass. Or to use the Republican phrase so popular when you all believed the 21st century would be a glorious Conservative, New American Century, only to screw it all up, sit down and STFU.

And while I'm at it, it is tradition that when the opposing party has their convention, the candidate takes a vacation and stays out of the news. Glad to see the Republicans continue their advancements on classing the joint up.

edited typos

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Makes ya proud to be American, doesn't it?

Pardon me while I shuffle away and start to sift through the rubble to see if there's anything left.

Steve Buchheit said...

You still have rubble? "Luxury!" (he said in his best Eric Idle voice)