Slacker Monday

Yes, today is a holiday about which I ought to have something to say. Martin Luther King was an important inspiration to me as a youth. That we have a national holiday in his honor is an indication of how different our political culture was 20 years ago. (At least it seems we won't have to worry about anybody proposing a George W. Bush national holiday.) But I'm having a bad brain day, so I'm just going to offer some links.

Let us never forget what the Noble Cause really is. Iraq to give Western companies oil rights.

And let us never doubt for one second where the Noble Cause leads next. Iran target of US Gulf military moves, Gates says. Well duhh -- Patriot missile batteries and aircraft carrier groups probably won't be much help in clearing and holding Baghdad.

Are they really that crazy? Yup.

Yes, the zeitgeist has changed, and most U.S. elites have recognized that reality will have its way with us in the end, and have turned against these maniacs. But it doesn't matter: they still wield the power of the U.S. military, and as they have made unambiguously clear, the United States is a dictatorship. President Bush, facing opposition from both parties over his plan to send more troops to Iraq, said he has the authority to act no matter what Congress wants.

"I fully understand they could try to stop me from doing it. But I've made my decision. And we're going forward," Bush told CBS' "60 Minutes" in an interview to air Sunday night.

Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that lawmakers' criticism will not influence Bush's plans and he dismissed any effort to "run a war by committee."

"The president is the commander in chief. He's the one who has to make these tough decisions," Cheney said.

The defiant White House stance comes as both the House and Senate, now controlled by Democrats, prepare to vote on resolutions that oppose additional U.S. troops in Iraq. Cheney said those nonbinding votes would not affect Bush's ability to carry out his policies.

"He's the guy who's got to decide how to use the force and where to deploy the force," Cheney said. "And Congress obviously has to support the effort through the power of the purse. So they've got a role to play, and we certainly recognize that. But you also cannot run a war by committee."

It's the Fuerher's war now, and by the Glorious Homeland, he's going to have it his way.