Not Good, Not Good at all

I realize that anyone reading this is more than aware of what is happening in the real world (as opposed to the fantasy land of Bush's brain) but it seems to me that things are on a crash course for an ice berg.

1. Bush himself. I think that there is every indication that this man is mentally unstable. He clearly feels that he is in a position that no other President has ever been in terms of his power. The signing of the torture bill (and there is no other term that fits it) on Tuesday along with his repetitive denials of the severity of the world situation does not presage a healthy coming two years for our nation.

2. Iraq. Every report out of this country is tragic. From the increased sectarian strife, to the Lancet report detailing that as many as 600,000 civilians have died, many of them children, to the increased number of American soldiers dying, to the chaos in the government, and on, and on. I cannot read the future but every indication is that our invasion and occupation has been a massive humanitarian, strategic and political failure.

3. Congress. The approval rating of Congress is below 20%. If I were an incumbent, I would worry. This is not to say that the 'loyal' opposition in Congress (the Democrats) has done its job either. There is every indication that there will be a change to Democratic control, but that will still not absolve them from the terrible job they have done running our country. From Health Care to the Environment, the record is abysmal.

4. Corruption. I know that Congress is corrupt. But, has there ever been a time when so many have been under indictment? So many are facing jail? I am ashamed to be an American.

5. North Korea and Iran. The fact that NoKo is at their current stage in nuclear development, paired with their development of three stage missiles, is very, very serious. If they get away with it, it will surely propel Iran into the nuclear fold. Given the instability of the Middle East, it is only a matter of time before Iran and Israel trade blows.

This is just scratching the surface of what is ailing our country. We all know these things. Yet we go blitely on hoping things will get better.

The hardest part is that we don't know how to solve it. We may be banking to strongly on Democratic control of the House, and maybe the Senate. These women and men have not shown much ability to solve problems to date, it is hard to imagine that a new day is dawning.

The conclusion that America itself is facing violent change is one that we don't want to entertain. We had better at least think about it.