The only way that "negotiations with Iran will get off the dime is for Rice to shut up. Everytime she opens her mouth she threatens Iran. that is not conducive to dialogue. At the same time Cheney alienates the Russians in one of his "speaches" (tirades). Next Rumsfeld makes remarks that annoy the Germans. Aren't these the two countrys we are trying to get on our side of the Iranian negotiations? Typical Bush crowd "diplomacy". It seems to me that the international community should tell the the U.S. to bug off and stop trying to run the whole show. Sure we are the 800 pound gorilla but do we have to act that way all the time?

The Iraq situation goes from bad to worse. Now Shiites are fighting Shiites are fighting Sunnis who are fighting everybody.
The government which is suppose to control all the mayhem seems to be largely the cause of it. Because the longer the U.S. is involved the more the Iraqis hate us for killing them. that is understandable. The government is tainted as being a product of the occupation and American influenced. "Staying the course" is proving more and more costly without constructive results. It is past time to pull out and let the matter take its course as it inevitably will.

My "letter to the editor" commented that it was foolish to reject out of hand the letter from the Iranian president. The Iranian letter was obviously an attempt to communicate. My point was "let's talk". Talking is better than killing. The Bush administration is very diplomacy challenged. Their notion of negotiating is " my way or the highway". Therefore I was pleased and surprised to see a headline today that "Bush will talk". As usual the devil is in the details. The caveat is "if the Iranians stop the nuclear refining process". It seems that every procedure that might break a stalemate is hedged by "condidtions", usually something that is known to be anathema to the other party. Instead of just going with the status quo and getting on with the "talks" there has to be the ritualistic dance of arguing about some nit picking detail. Rice has to throw in the threat that the use of force is still on the table and is fearful that any thing really "diplomatic" would be seen as a sign of weakness.In my estimation all the weakness is above the shirt collar. Rice also maintains that Iran must be "punished" if it does not agree to the proposed terms. Why musr we be the bully of the block and assume we have the right to tell everyone else how things should be? It is a good idea to have a neighborhood watch but what we are doing amounts to vigilantism. We demand to be above the international law. Since Bush we have alienated most of the countrys of the world. We are considered a rouge elephant. Our legislators have been derelict in their oversight responsibility. It is ironic that the only indignation shown to any of the many problems facing the nation is the FBI raiding a congressional office. It is understandable that with all the corruption charges being brought lately that legislatorss would not care to be treated like mere common citizens.

Bush ignored the Kyoto Protocol saying it would be bad for our economy. Instead he claimed that his plan for voluntary reduction of emissions would work because that is what he did inTexas. It turns out that the idea did not work in Texas and it hasn't worked for the country. Time and again this adinistration has proven to be an ecological disaster: even worse than Reagan.

Bush claims to be distressed about the deaths in Iraq yet he shows no inclination to stem the waste of oil by gas guzzlers.
Thom Friedman points out that we are not only paying for our war effort we are financing our opponent's war through high gas prices. The best result of high gas prices is the reduced sales of the big SUVs and trucks. This is hurting GM and Friedman says that the sooner Toyota take over GM the better off we will be.

The tragedy in Haditha, where Marines killed civilians in retaliation for a roadside bomb is the result of the lousy war we shouldn't be in. I feel for the poor guys who have been subjected to the brutalities of this senseless conflict. Those IEDs have been the cause of over 50% of our fatalites and an uncounted number of maimings that have shattered the lives of those men and women