You gotta wonder why they aren't.. I think it's because the Clinton Fellatio Follies made us all a little woozy. Sure, Slick Willie deserved his whatsis kicked by Hillary. He deserved to see Chelsea's pain. Surely the national embarrassment at his tacky personal life brought center stage and written forever in purple print was no small vengeance for the gods... and the godlike and ever-pure Republicans. I remember making that point. But the righteous right said, "Ah, but he lied." Well, yes, Bill did. He did, he did. So the jackass was impeached.

If lying about a tacky, but consensual and legal sexual liaison is a high crime and/or misdemeanor such that it threatens our republic, how have the barefaced liars of this current administration gotten a pass?

Lies about WMD, illegal wire taps, abrogating the Geneva Convention, condoning CIA renditions and probable torture abroad, arrogant signing statements to legislate from the oval office, outing covert intelligence agents, and most lately political manipulation of the Justice Department. Yup, thanks to the Clinton follies, Congress is gutless to impeach where it counts.

Speaking of lies, ex-CIA director George Tenet's recent pathetic mea kinda culpa book should make you sick It does me. But I watched another replay of Powell's UN presentation. We should have tipped. You'll remember at either side, just behind Powell, sat Tenet and UN Ambassador John Negroponte.

Powell had a seven-high busted straight, but played it cool. The pot was for all the marbles Powell was granite. Tenet and Negroponte looked like puppies about to be scolded for pooping on the rug.

Negroponte later was awarded a post as ambassador to Iraq. (He had demonstrated his usefulness decades ago in ignoring human rights abuses in Honduras in the 1980's.) But Tenet? He got a piddly twenty dollar Medal of Freedom from a smiling Sir Pinocchio Flight Jacket - and was relegated to the dust bin. Or so was the plan. Maybe that's why George wants to get even with his new book. Or maybe as the Bush facade continues to crumble, Tenet wants to say he gave it a little patriotic kick. Tardy but understandable.

Dear reader, you can pull the covers over your head if you want, but we the people have been suckered.

The invasion of Iraq was not just illegal under international law, it was unnecessary, a moronic foreign policy screwup. That is, if the object was to disarm Saddam Hussein - which of course it wasn't. Neither was the object to spread the balm of freedom and democracy. And the current mantra about the "center of the war on terror" is just bonkers.

The object was essentially three-fold:

1. Create a client state which would allow permanent U.S. military bases outside Saudi Arabia, a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism which rivals Iran.


2. Secure a bargain-priced oil supply for ourselves and leverage against competing or hostile nations, and the old traditional.


3. Big-time corporate profits from rebuilding the devastated nation and developing its resources.

Whatever this lying administration says, you can bet your bippy the U.S. is not leaving Iraq.

Not voluntarily.

Not now, not later. Not while our economy and our military run on petroleum - and that'll be a good, long while.

So ante up and hunker down, my friends.