It's All Too Beautiful

Wanted to bookend my BCS rant from last month, now that college football is done, and USC demolished overrated Oklahoma in the FedEx Yawn Bowl (impressive Trojan offensive line -- QB Matt Leinart could've hit his receivers from a barcalounger). Wanted to say that unbeaten Auburn would've given USC a better game, and that despite sleepwalking against Texas Tech, Cal still should've gone to the Rose Bowl (though Texas v. Michigan was a great game, which, as I'm sure you all know by now, ended sadly). Wanted to basically repeat that the BCS truly sucks, and will continue sucking until it is dismantled and dumped somewhere in the Pacific. But as much as I'd like to dwell on my college football fantasy Final Four scheme, there's too much real world, life & death bullshit going down to worry about that.

Hell, if things keep going as they are, the BCS will seem an island of sanity amid increasing madness and despair.

The recent announcement by the Islamic Army in Iraq that it plans to
carry out terrorist attacks within the US, should give one pause. Is this where Bush's mad Iraq adventure is leading us -- an increasing probability that now Iraqi Muslims will soon be killing Americans on our own turf? Don't recall this being a remote possibility even after 9/11. The concern then, if I recall, had to do with Saudi radicals and their Pakistani sponsors, a real enough threat (old anti-commie friends come back to visit), however infrequent or competent. Now, thanks to a murderous invasion and occupation of Iraq with no end in sight, plus the added bonus of torture and rape which has really gone over big in the Arab world, we now face increased Islamic radicalization across the board, far beyond the quaint days of al-Qaeda and its mountain retreats.

Justin Raimondo says pretty much what I would say about this, so no need restating the obvious.

Think the neocons, war-crazed libs and kindred souls care about the above? They love it. More justification for expanded war. That we've inherited Saddam's Iron Fisted role in Iraq appears lost on them. As Christopher Hitchens put it right after the Twin Towers collapsed, they are exhilarated by the prospect of more bloodshed, here, there, doesn't matter.

Happy times for them. As for the rest of us . . .

And then there's the rubber-stamped confirmation of soon-to-be Attorney Gen. Alberto Gonzales -- Big Al Torture as he's known to pals. Big Al has taken all the pre-coached "humanitarian" poses he needs to slide into office, but the glint in his eye remains.

And where's Dear Leader in all this? Hummin' gleefully to himself, mutterin' "Will of the people" while bluebirds & bunnies smile and sing in the meadow of his mind:

"There is rising concern amongst senior officials that President Bush does not grasp the increasingly grim reality of the security situation in Iraq because he refuses to listen to that type of information. Our sources say that attempts to brief Bush on various grim realities have been personally rebuffed by the President, who actually says that he does not want to hear 'bad news.'"

How long, dear Lord? How long?

If you need me this weekend, I'll be hiding in Itchycoo Park:

Over bridge of sighs
To rest my eyes in shades of green
Under dreamin' spires
To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been

What did you do there - I got high
What did you feel there - Well I cried
But why the tears then - I'll tell you why

It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful