Say What You Will

The dauphin, as you know, requested another $50 billion for the occupation of Iraq, and it's inconceivable that he won't get it. I suspect that the Donk will kick up a minor ruckus, insisting on increasing toaster strudel rations or committing the military to an in-theater anti-smoking campaign or some such. Then, without getting any of it, they'll nevertheless acquiesce entirely and the flowing funds will once again have flown. As it is, was and shall be. Où sont les neiges d'antan. And so forth. Washington, meanwhile, awaits with breath that is bated for something called General Petraeus' report, although everyone understands that this report will be a series of anecdotes and cautiously sunny obfuscations drafted by the third assistant best boy to the undergrip of the Gaffer of State. In two months, no one will care nor recall. Remember the Iraq Study Group report? Yeah, neither do I.

As a bonus, it really does appear that a shooting war with Iran is in the offing. The rhetoric is certainly established. The twining and twinning of the destinies of Iran and Iraq bear uncanny resemblance to the old elisions of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and as noted above, the chances of congressional Democrats actually doing anything about it, other than standing aside and waving the convoy on through with a thumbs up and a smart salute, are less than zero. (For me, it raises an interesting philosophical dilemma. Republicans tend toward a sort of fascistic millennarianism, which I obviously abhor. But Democrats have been trending toward a sort of casual nihilism lately, and that, I think, is an absence of ethos we can all get behind.) Last week, for instance, I'm pretty sure that this guy I know from the Maldives was giving me a funny look. It could be because I was kicking the vending machine, but just to be on the safe side, we might want to consider the military option.