it's kinda hard to describe the play of various childlike expressions that passed across dubya's face as he announced the "great success" of the Iraqi "elections." It was almost as though they'd decanted him from the nursery just in time to tell the grownups what a wonderful thing he'd done in the sandbox. Certainly he had been watching the news heads in their celebratory approach to the story,. and just then had learned that 'his' administration had done this glorious thing for these oh so grateful people over there. Underneath it all, was a repeating flash of 'oh boy, I fixed it for them, and all my friends will get rich (er) too!' There was absolutely no inkling of any comprehension of what is *really* going on.

There are two articles on Alternet that I wish -oh how I wish- someone would hold him down and read to him.



I almost think he does not know - he carefully doesn't know - couldn't imagine how badly everything has gone in Iraq. How much we are hated there, and laughed at around the world for our - his - the "New Century" people - overweening pride, and mentality of ruling the world.

I remember waking up in my hotel room outside of Heathrow on Nov. 3 , thinking that we'd gotten rid of him and our collective embarrassment. I met no one NO ONE in England who was not still amazed that we 'yanks' had actually elected that doofus. And then elected him again. Oh my.

There are so many people in this country who don't wanna know, either. Like my sister, for one. She ends her email with a sig line suggesting "see what the Iraqi's say" and a link to a Fox News sponsored site - for cryin' out loud. So finally, I can't stand it anymore, and I send her a link (labeled "real Iraqis") to the Jarrar's blogs, and Riverbend. I Figure from there she could read others' like I did , but NOOoooo "Oh I saw those, and a few others," dismissively. sigh. All those years of not having a sister - now I've got one again, and she's a Bushy.

Maybe when I get Alzheimer's, I'll forget all this bloodshed, in my name - NO I did not vote for that *^%$ - I make less than $15k a year, but I donated three or four times to the DNC and misc. progressive causes. I still have some hope that the internet and the communications it enables will save us - save the world FROM us.

Dancing happy Iraqis on the news. Oh my. How can any reporter actually IN Baghdad spin this whole thing the Bush way.

A demonstration in SF today, calling this a sham election, designed to allow the US corporations to lock in on Iraqi oil. Curiously enough, just what most Iraqi's think. And here comes Tony Blair, covering his behind, and pumping up the happy talk concerning these elections. I may need to quit watching the news entirely.

I have developed an enormous amount of respect for the few Iraqis I've come to know through their blogs. "where is Raed" was the first one I read - and was by Salaam Pax, with interjections from a young fellow named Raed. Baghdad Burning, by Riverbend, a young lady who writes like an angel, and is angry like an avenging angel, was the second. Raed's turned out to be "A Family In Baghdad." An incredible amount of care and work went into that blog site. Actually several. Do check it out - and all its links.
Raed says the people who are voting have to go there to collect their ration cards. The regime in place there now have tied receiving your next food rations to going to vote, where the rations cards are being distributed in exchange for a ballot. He allows as how this may be just a rumor, but it is such a prevailing rumor, makes no nevermind if it's true or not. There were a few TV shots on tonight's news showing an official sort of document in voters' hands - seemed to be laminated - more like a ration card than a voter registration. I'd love someone to confirm that for me.
--
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-- Martin Luther King Jr.