disturbing the comfortable

The "President" made quite a speech the other night. He extolled the progress we're making in Iraq; how the people in Anbar Province asked us to help them out; that life in Baghdad was returning to normal.

Many commentators were stunned. Not all of them, of course: the Bill-O and the Rush and the Fox Family were jumped up and down, saying "See, he agrees with us! We're right! We're winning!" But the majority of commentators, even the middle-of-the-road Republican-symps, were stunned. They wondered if Bush was dwelling in an alternatve universe or perhaps on drugs or if he'd just gone totally bonkers. I think he was probably being true to facts: the executive branch now has so much power it doesn't even need to tell half-way true stories. Bush could just as well have said, "We are making steady progress against the dreadful Blue Cheese mold that is spreading throughout the Middle East," and it wouldn't have made any difference. True lies. You don't like what the administration is telling you? Tough shit.

The Democrats can fuss all they want. Ultimately, they're as tied into the killing machine as the Republicans. They're out to save their jobs and be loyal to them what bought them their jobs. However, they're still allowed to pose prettily for the cameras and cluck their tongues.

And the rest of us? Well, our taxes are going up and the received services are going down. We will be allowed, though, to see our corporate masters (and mistresses) drive past in their luxury cars. We may even be allowed to throw flowers at them...although turds would be more appropriate.