Condi Rice is quoted in TIME Magazine as saying this:

Rice told TIME she believes the insurgents are “losing steam” as a political force, even though their ability to kill and maim at will appears undiminished.

So what the heck does that mean? Well, they’re losing steam, which I suppose is another way to say that they are in their “last throes,” as Dick Cheney put it. And what is her evidence? None–as she puts it, their “ability to kill and maim at will appears undiminished.” So how are they losing steam?

Just more fake-outs, attempting to explain away the continuing high American body count and making people believe that this is a war we’re winning somehow. After all, they’re working on a constitution, right? Well, so what? We’ve already seen a “handover” of power and an election. Now it’s a constitution, and then a “real” election. All of the past landmarks were supposed to be these vital turning points that would end the insurgency, and none of these have made any difference whatsoever. Why should we believe any of the future ones will make any more of a difference? In the end, we’ll still be controlling the country, the insurgents will still be killing our troops who will still be there–it’ll all be the same, after you look past the smoke and mirrors.

The reported “fairly substantial” pullout of troops next year is just another fake–only a small percentage is mentioned, and it is just as likely that this will be matched by more new forces going in, though lord knows where they’ll find them. But this will come–purely coincidentally, of course!–just in time for midterm elections. In which, it is likely, Republicans will yet again declare “victory,” probably again by lowering the bar. After all, now it’s not even a war, it’s a struggle. Or maybe not. How incredibly, utterly lame.

In the meantime, we’re building permanent bases (more than $1 billion spent on them already, even as Bush officials deny that they’re there). And while our soldiers continue to die, Bush takes yet another vacation. By the end of this one–his longest yet–he’ll have spent almost an entire year out of his five and a half in office on vacation.

But then again, Bush vacationing in safety while others go to fight wars he wants is nothing new to him at all.

Is there a point to this post? Yes. It’s utter disgust at the endless stream of lies, PR, and just plain bullshit that is tearing up a generation of young people, destroying our reputation in the world, while being mired in corruption (billions of US taxpayer dollars, “your money,” as Bush so aptly put it, simply “missing” with no account–not to mention the multi-billion giveaway to profit-flush oil companies) and lack of concern on the part of men who profit from it all.

Just a reminder, in case you got all caught up in a recent orgy of flag-waving and forgot about what was going on.