So, $70 billion more for the Terror War, then. There were no filibusters, no "holds" on continuing this abomination, which in addition to slaughtering hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians is also shredding America's military -- those soldiers whom the warmongers "support" so much -- in a useless, degrading, criminal action.

With Mike Huckabee's continuing surge, the Republican Party now has an Iowa front-runner whose religious beliefs are virtually identical to those of George Bush. He's anti-choice, born-again, against gay-marriage, and gets political advice directly from God.

So why is the Republican establishment suddenly in a state of near-apoplexy about Mike Huckabee? Shouldn't they be happy? They've been cultivating evangelicals and fundamentalists for 30 years. Now they finally have a candidate who's truly part of the movement. So what's the problem?

Actually, that is the problem. The evangelical crowd was fine when it was just a resource to be cynically exploited every few years in demagogic anti-gay get-out-the-vote campaigns. But now the holy-rolling monster the GOP's Dr. Frankensteins have created has thrown off the shackles, fled the lab, and is currently leading in Iowa. And the party doesn't know what to do.

Bob Cratchit turned the thermostat up a notch, to take the chill off the 49-degree room, steeled his courage and walked up to the boss, who was oiling his shotgun.

"Sir," said Cratchit, "I was wondering if you would be considering a holiday bonus this year, so that I can buy a small -- a very small -- goose for our family's Christmas dinner."

"Bah, scumbag!" said Dick. "You lazy bum, trying to sponge off us hard-working citizens. Don't try to bamboozle me; go fuck yourself. Or go talk to George: He's the compassionate one."

‘Twas a country quite listless, for in the White House
 All the shredders were shredding, fed by the dry souse.

The Department of Justice did not have a care,
 Full knowing that Congress would never go there.