My Lost America - Part II

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Behind Blue Eyes​

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes​

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies​

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be​

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free​

~The Who~​

I would be remiss if I didn't say something about Dick Cheney's appearance on Meet the Press this Sunday morning. Tim Russert is really one of the best in the business of journalism because he's fair and when he gets tough it's because he's using the words of his own guests to impeach them. Dick Cheney has always been something of an enigma to me, more than most Vice Presidents, because he's played such a prominent role in the shaping of Americas foreign and domestic policies but has somehow escaped serious scrutiny. Some would say he's the brains behind this administration and I don't know if I'd argue against that.

By all accounts the Vice President is a cold and calculating individual that isn't easily shaken. During the debates in the last election he absolutely trounced John Edwards while barely emoting even a quiver of satisfaction. Though he inhabits the historical anonymity of his office his name has been invoked more than any other Vice President in memory, and there's no question that when he speaks in the oval office the Commander in Chief listens.

Nothing can be more crippling than the harm we do ourselves and as Mr. Cheney demonstrated during his sixty minute interview, slick and shady Vice Presidents are not excluded.

Although Mr. Cheney attempted to offer explanations for the Iraq </ST1debacle and tried to assert that if they had it to do all over again they'd do the exact same thing, his composure belied his prepared excuses as Russert posed question after question. This is what the American people have settled for and in the case of this present war, are dying for. No single act has hurt this country more than the war has; in fact almost every world leader that supported this administration is no longer in power, and Tony Blair's own party has just asked him to step down. This isn't about rehashing what's already been rehashed a thousand times before because here we are. Its about taking an honest look at the people we settled for. When flatly confronted with the Presidents own words that there was no link between Iraq and 9/11 he did his verbal best to create doubt where there is only rigid certainty. When confronted with his own words about Iraq shortly after 9/11 when he characterized that country as "bottled up," he now contends differently.

Mr. Cheney would no doubt be better suited for a boardroom filled with egocentric greedy oil executives but holding the reins of this once glorious democracy is a bit of a stretch. He's masterful at evasion but simple reality works so much better than his political slight of hand or smoke and mirrors. The interview ended with Mr. Cheney offering a crooked thin lipped smile as Russert joked, "would I be safe if you had a shotgun right now?" At least we know he can smile.

One of the most critical lessons we should take from 9/11 is that we have to check our individual consciences thoroughly before we make a check our ballot boxes. Here's the latest statistics on our fruitless quest in the desert sands.

THE DEAD AND MAIMED IN IRAQ</ST1
<ST1</ST1
222,232 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED
and 400,018 SERIOUSLY INJURED Sept. 2006​

2,657 U.S. TROOPS KILLED
and <! 25,289>40,967 SERIOUSLY INJURED Sept. 2006​

232 OTHER COALITION TROOPS KILLED
and 696 SERIOUSLY INJURED Sept. 2006​

136 U.S. CIVILIANS KILLED
and 245 SERIOUSLY INJURED Sept. 2006​

213 OTHER COALITION CIVILIANS KILLED
and 383 SERIOUSLY INJURED Sept. 2006​

It's been five years since 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden is still free, and everyone but him is paying the price for those attacks. One thing's clear from all this, love isn't what makes the world go around, blood does.​

Stay green.<O</O​