I'm beginning to agree about the elections. There is a terrible deficit, domestic issues are going to burgeon as energy prices rise, interest rates rise, inflation sets in, and income drops. That's going to happen no matter who is President, I'm afraid.

And obviously you're friend is correct about the Iraqi people. The US is not waging war against Iraqis the way the Soviet Union waged war against the Hungarians. I believe there will be such a mess in Iraq that Bush will be faced with two options.

The first is yours, to sign long-term oil deals favorable to his cronies, and give power back to the religious folks. After all, the Iraqis trust their religious leaders, not their politicians. (How he would explain that to the families of the dead is a bit of a problem, but he will probably say that Iraqi self-determination was the goal, and that's what they determined.

The second would be that he could continue to demonize Iran, institute a draft in the US, then decide it is necessary to "disarm" them, and attack from Iraq and Afghanistan. There would have to be much more manpower, and the draft would supply that.

That's what the Pakistanis believe is the Bush agenda, anyway, and it makes sense. I don't think he has guts enough to admit he was wrong, and will plow ahead over the bodies of some very good people.

And, of course, he will say that North Korea can be handled diplomatically (they don't have oil).

And, whatever happens, Bush will leave behind such chaos that he deserves to have it. I don't know that he can make too much more of a mess of it than he has.

Arf