For oil and staying in power

Hundreds of thousands of us, more likely millions of us, told George W. Bush way before March 19, 2003 not to attack Iraq. (My original bumper sticker is still in good shape: ATTACK IRAQ? NO! Later I added STOP THE OIL WAR!)

3,787 American deaths and possibly a million Iraqi deaths later, Bush remains as stubborn as ever, and the blood continues to flow every day. The Decider refuses to admit that he laid the groundwork for this horrendous civil war, and he raves on and on about "victory."

Today was perhaps the Democrats' last chance under Bush to throw a monkey wrench into the Iraq war machine -- by getting enough votes to give the troops as much time to rest at home as they spend in the middle of the inferno. But Republicans who had provided hope for a majority vote chickened out. (One would think that, with even Allan Greenspan admitting this is a war for oil, they would find some guts.)

Clear-sighted analysts point out that you can bet those same Republicans will change their tune once the spring primary elections are over. They must keep their warmongering base happy till voting time, so morality will just have to wait and more young lives will have to be sacrificed.

Thus do empires crumble.