No this isn't about the decline in my looks over the last 20 years (Yes, I know, how it could it get worse? Shut up Tom.), it's about our political situation and Bush's plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq, it is definitely getting ugly.  The generally accepted wisdom is that (significantly) more troops were necessary in the beginning of the war, and that adding more troops now won't make much difference.

And so Congress is considering doing more than just voicing opposition to Bush on sending another 21,500 Americans into harm's way--they want to make him not send the troops.  Which as far as I can tell, they cannot do.  So instead, some are threatening to cut off the funding for the new troops.  Which in my opinion, would be a Grade-A Top-of-the-Line Fucking Stupid Idea™.

After all the bad press Bush and his flunkies have gotten for troops not having body armor and other equipment, denying funding for these troops would be a singularly bad move.  Because funded or not, Bush will send them anyway, and lots of luck pinning that on him when the next presidential elections come.  All cutting off funding will do is endanger the troops further, and ruin the party's chances of winning the big seat in '08.  Definitely voice opposition, pass resolutions to censure the president, but don't leave the troops unfunded, please.  These are men and women going into a dangerous place, even if we don't like the fact that they are going and don't want them to go, it would be immoral to send them without providing for their safety as much as we can.

There's a lot of good our Democractically controlled House and Senate can do, and domestically, Bush is going to have a tough time getting stupid policy decisions passed.  But in Iraq, for the troops' sake, let's not be cutting funding.

So as part of Bush's new direction in Iraq, American forces attacked the Iranian consulate in Kurdish Northern Iraq yesterday, taking five employees prisoner.

Less than a day later, unknown assailants launch a rocket attack on an American embassy in Athens.

Feel safer yet, America?  'Cause you know, another war is just what we need right now.  So glad the Bushies are taking the Baker report seriously.

Y'know George, when Baker said "engage with Iran", I'm pretty sure he didn't mean "engage in war with Iran".

Is it 2008 yet?