Never in the history of our country has American politics been so dominated by sexually repressed men. It's that weird fascist thing. Inadequate men are so obsessed with goose stepping to glory that they're able to forget their insecure sexuality.

Republicans, to say it straight out, simply seem to be terrified of sex. Bush's buddy Christian fundamentalists inevitably conjure up visions of Salem Witch Trials.

A neurotic political/religious world view that hates and fears sex is a one way ticket to national castration.

But why even bother to talk about this when all we have to do is take a long hard look at our President and Vice President? And throw in Karl Rove while you’re at it.   more »

Is it surprising that "Obama", that well-known

political brand should be marketed via Oprah?

Self-promotion is the American art form

Obama is a politician for the main chance

It's the coming together of

populist politics and popular culture

Trust Obama to cash in on "Oprah", the image

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Keywords: politician, celebrity, consumerism, marketing, oprah, obama, pr

In the name of 'fighting extremism'

- code for countering Iranian influence -

the US is arming two of the Arab world's

leading human rights abusers: Saudi Arabia and Egypt

On top of that, another arsenal

of weapons for Zionist Israel

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Keywords: bush, regime, weapons, sunni, shia, mideast, iraq, iran, escalation

Why can't Americans consider the possibility that we should be wary of judging other tribes

That participating in tribal wars of annihilation might not be a religious obligation -- might, in fact, be mere arrogant savagery.

Why weren't Americans made more aware of this, right around the time that Bush & Co. were telling us that we had a moral obligation to liberate Iraq.

It would have been nice if a few people who knew better had been willing to say outright that even if the war really was about liberation, it was an arrogant invasion born of the ancient belief that our tribe is the only one that knows how life should be lived.

But no one talked about the insanity of bringing Dairy Queen to Iraq because there are no cultural relativists around these days -- no one willing to admit it anyway.   more »

Brown put the US on notice for an eventual withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, dependent on the word of military commanders on the ground. Since that is the same formulation Bush himself uses, he could hardly object.

It's not quite Hugh Grant sticking it to Billy Bob Thornton in Love Actually, but this is about as far as a British prime minister could reasonably be expected to go in putting an American president at arms length.

No, he didn't call Bush a deranged Texan gunslinger but nor did he return a single one of Bush's copious personal compliments.

While the president tried to warm the air with talk of the "humorous Scotsman", Brown said their talks had been "full and frank" - icy diplomatese for a row.

If breaking the clammy hug Blair and Bush shared was the goal, it certainly worked. A headline in yesterday's Washington Post declared of Brown: "More bulldog than poodle."   more »