Well, I didn't vote for him...or his boss

Vice President Dick Cheney was quoted in the Times this morning saying, "It won't stop us," on CNN, discussing the Senate Foreign Relations committee's approval of a resolution opposing President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

Last I checked we had this beautiful thing called checks and balances. If the president ever came up with some ludicrous plan congress could say, hold on a second there sir, my constituents (read: voters and taxpayers) wholeheartedly don't approve of your initiative. Can the president really think he can run a totalitarian regime? Apparently he does. Wikipedia smartly describes it as "maintain(ing) themselves in political power by means of single-party state, secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, personality cult, regulation and restriction of free discussion and criticism, the use of mass surveillance." Most of those seem to describe him well in my book. "Restriiction of free discussion and criticism?" Is that like how the Dixie Chicks were cut down three years ago for pointing out President Bush's misguided march to Iraq? I only wish more influential Americans had stood up then to say the same damn thing. "Mass surveillance?" Well, thank God thats not something Presient Bush ever considered.

The New York Times listed 22 US soldiers who died yesterday in Iraq. Of the 22, 2 were Colonels, 1 was a Lieutenant Colonel, 1 was a Major, and 1 was a Captain. This is no longer a war where only "disposable" foot soldiers are being killed. How many more brave Americans need to die before this becomes clear? I can't handle spending every morning on the subway tearing up while reading about a young father of two who was blown away in the sectarian violence. Enough is enough. We impeached President Clinton, the greatest modern president, for canoodling with an intern. But our current president is going to send 40,000 more troops to risk their lives. You thought your State of the Union speech would convince your voters, taxpayers, and naysayers, to stop their criticism, but I'm sorry Mr. President, "It won't stop us".