Larry, Moe, and Curly Receive High Honor

"One of the highest distinctions of history is to be called a liberator, and Tommy Franks will always carry that title." --G. W. Bush

"The dolt is seldom solitary." --Samuel Beckett

Remember that scene in Catch-22 where Yossarian and the other members of his bombing crew, rather than being courtmartialed for chickening out on a bombing run and dropping their payload in the sea, instead are awarded medals--this because the brass thought it more politically expedient to reward than to punish them? They are given medals for destroying fish? Remember that absurd scene?

More such farce. Our Commander in Chief, Generalissimo Busho, hanging Presidental Medals of Freedom around the necks of George Tenet, Tommy Franks, and Paul Bremer -- this for their "good work" in the war in Iraq. Talk about bombing fish! Could these three guys have screwed up any more than they did? Tenet, who assured Bush that finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq would be a "slam dunk"? Franks, who went right along with Rumsfeld's bright idea that we could do Iraq on the cheap? And Bremer, whose decision to dismiss the whole of the Iraqi army has fueled mightly the blazing insurgency our soldiers now face? And these guys got medals? A firing squad would have been more appropriate ("To encourage the others," as Voltaire would say...).

Cronyism run amuck. This scene within hours of Rudi Guliani's strong right hand, Bernard Kerik -- who, during his brief stay in Iraq, did such a bang-up job training the Iraqi police force -- withdrawing his name from consideration for Chief of Homeland Security. I wonder what paragon of virtue and integrity Bush will come up with next for that spot? Perhaps Lyndee England is available?

Where have you gone Ambrose Bierce? And you, H.L. Mencken? And you, George Orwell? Where is the journalist who is courageous enough and intelligent enough and indignant enough and eloquent enough to expose this gang for what they are? Can it be that such voices of sanity are suppressed in today's corporate controlled news media?

God help the Republic!