Pocketed by The Decider

It is crystal clear. George W. Bush lied and began an immoral, illegal war that has turned into a ferocious civil war in a non-country that is really three countries. Because of his decisions, 3,774 Americans and countless Iraqis, possibly over a million, have already lost their lives.

The Decider has presided over a system that has spurned the Geneva Conventions Against Torture and clandestinely carried out Extraordinary Rendition, the extrajudicial transporting of prisoners to secret jails around the world. He has tried to nullify Habeas Corpus. With our country in health care crisis, schools deteriorating, and 160,000 bridges needing maintenance, Bush is pouring $1 billion every three days into the Iraq quagmire, even as Osama Bin Laden continues to plot over in Pakistan. It is crystal clear that Bush has created a hellish debacle like none other in our history. It is foreign policy gone mad.

With the picture so clear, how can it be that a highly respected General Petraeus and a highly experienced Ambassador Crocker have let themselves be tucked into Bush's pockets? Probably nobody is surprised, but multitudes must be painfully saddened.

Tomorrow night on national TV, Bush will rev up the spin machine. He'll talk about bringing some troops home - the ones who were going to come home soon anyway. Democrats had better respond not with any more fuzzy words but with loud energy, putting a lot of pressure on conscientious Republicans to cross the aisle and produce veto-proof legislation that cuts off the money flow and starts the withdrawal of troops right now.