Why are we waging war in Iraq?

1) Because Saddam was the mastermind behind 9/11 - No, that's not right.
2) Because Saddam had links to Al Qaeda - No wait, he had nothing to do with them.
3) Because Saddam was an evil dictator in possession of weapons of mass destruction that would eventually be unleashed on America, or at least Israel - No, actually Saddam's arsenal of chemical & biological (he never had nuclear) weapons was effectively depleted by sanctions and political efforts.
4) Because the people of Iraq long to be free, and a free and democratic Iraq (and, eventually, Middle East) is Pres. Bush's top priority - No, no, no - once again, it appears, we need more false pretenses to continue the occupation; the President just couldn't stick to the latest and greatest excuse.

from the Washington Post:

"The commitment to what the president of the United States will say every single day of the week is his number one priority in Iraq, when it's translated into action, looks very tiny," said Les Campbell, who runs programs in the Middle East for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, known as NDI.

NDI and its sister, the International Republican Institute (IRI), will see their grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development dry up at the end of this month, according to a government document, leaving them only special funds earmarked by Congress last year. Similarly, the U.S. Institute of Peace has had its funding for Iraq democracy promotion cut by 60 percent. And the National Endowment for Democracy expects to run out of money for Iraqi programs by September.

"Money keeps getting transferred away to security training. Democracy's one of the things that's been transferred," said Thomas Carothers of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's project on democracy and the rule of law.
...
For Bush, developing democracy in Iraq has become perhaps the signature of his presidency, and he takes special pride in the three elections held since sovereignty was transferred by U.S. authorities. Veterans of past democracy-building efforts, however, have complained that having elections is not enough -- an argument the president has embraced lately, both in his speeches and in his newly released National Security Strategy.

Unfortunately, Bush is talking the talk but not walking the walk.

At current spending rates, the earmark [for funding pro-democracy initiatives] will run out this year. After that, the Bush administration has included just $15 million for the two party institutes as part of the $63 million for Iraqi democracy in next year's budget, which would require most programs to be cut.

The U.S. Institute of Peace faces similar cutbacks to its program. "It's just vital," said Daniel P. Serwer, an institute vice president. All the democracy programs in Iraq combined, he noted, cost less than one day of the U.S. military mission. "Am I absolutely sure that we will shorten the deployment time of American troops enough to justify the cost of the program? Yes," he said.

they're at it again...

from truthdig:

The convener of a "War on Christians" conference held in the nation'’s capital outrageously depicted [Tom Delay] the former House majority leader'’s political plight as the unwarranted crucifixion of a Christ-like leader by God-haters. And, with his trademark gall, the infamously ethically challenged DeLay eagerly embraced this explanation when it was his turn to speak to the adoring crowd.

"We have been chosen to live as Christians at a time when our culture is being poisoned and our world is being threatened," thundered the Texan pest-control entrepreneur who rose to become one of AmericaÂ’s most powerful politicians. "The enemies of virtue may be on the march, but they have not won."

Let'’s leave aside for a moment the absurdity of right-wing Christians' persecution complex at a time when their adherents effectively control all three branches of the federal government. What's even more confusing is how so many enemies of virtue seem to have had a field day operating under poor DeLay's auspices...

To be fair to DeLay, it should be noted that as absurd as his religious posturing may appear, it comes at a time when he has been denied the services of his onetime spiritual adviser and former chief of staff. Edwin Buckham, an evangelical minister who turned lobbyist after leaving DeLay's staff, is himself now mired in potential legal problems stemming from Rudy's plea bargain. A devastating article by R. Jeffrey Smith in the Washington Post last week reported that Buckham and his wife received a total of nearly a million bucks from the "nonprofit" U.S. Family Network, which he created as a front group largely funded by clients of Abramoff.

This is a great piece of reporting that uncovers the lies of Abramoff and his ilk (see also Ralph Reed), and exposes his faith-posturing as nothing more than a charade. One of my favorite biblical quotes is Jesus' admonition to "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Delay got it backwards, choosing to be innocent as a serpent, instead.

Actually, the entire passage in which that line is located further implicates Delay. Here, in the tenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus has selected the twelve disciples and now gives them directions for going out to proclaim the good news. In contrast to Tom "the Martyr" Delay, the disciples are told, "You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food." Not only did Delay and his staff (including his spiritual advisor - it's in the article!) receive money, free travel, vacations, and more, they actively sought these things as the price of their service. Funny, I thought serving as an elected official was in itself a privilege, and the only reward one should expect was re-election for a job well done.

The disciples are also warned, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Delay not only mixed up the serpents and doves part, but also the sheep and wolves. Before making his meteoric rise (and, let's hope, fall) from public, um, bilking, Delay was a taxidermist. The phrase that seems better to fit Delay is "wolf in sheep's clothing," and who better to dress himself in sheep's clothing than a taxidermist?

In all seriousness, Delay and his staff make a mockery of the Christian faith by their deeds and, worse, help create the alleged "war on Christians" with their words. They create such a "war," and the associated cultural divisions, and then act as war-profiteers, scamming well meaning faithful in the ensuing chaos.